BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team battled visiting Gordon College to an electrifying 86-76 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Quarterfinal action Tuesday night inside MacDonald Gymnasium.
The first half saw two tied scores and three lead changes as Gordon opened the game on a 7-0 run through the first four minutes of action before Endicott put together a 10-9 run to take its first lead of the game at the 14:14 mark on junior guard Kamahl Walker's (Worcester, Mass.) layup.
The Gulls were up 15-9 with 11:52 on junior guard Max Motroni's (West Warwick, R.I.) free throw, but Gordon eventually tied it at 15-all at 10:42. Endicott used a 7-0 run over the next three minutes to make it a seven-point game (22-15) on Motroni's trey.
The Fighting Scots fought for a brief 24-22 edge with 5:21 to play and again, 26-24, (4:34) in the opening stanza, but Endicott fed off crowd energy capitalized by junior forward Daquan Sampson's (Germantown, Md.) dunk with 2:07 on the clock to make it 31-28.
Endicott filed into the locker room at the break holding onto a 38-28 advantage for their largest lead of the half as Walker led the floor with 14 points.
It was Endicott all the way in the second half as Motroni netted 15 of his 21 points on the night. The Gulls steadily grew their lead to 17 points with 8:52 remaining in the game on Basden's three-pointer assisted by Motroni.
Gordon cut the deficit to six points with 3:47 on the clock with a pair of free throws from CCC Rookie of the Year Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.), but Endicott hit all eight of its attempted free throws down the stretch to seal the deal and advanced to the conference semifinals for the 14th time in the program's 22-year history.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Gulls placed five student-athletes in double figures as Walker had 22 points, Motroni had 21, Sampson added 15 to go with a team-high eight boards, and junior guards Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) and Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) each chipped in 10 points apiece.
- Motroni extended his double-digit scoring streak to 25, as he has scored double digits in every game he has played in this season.
- Endicott forced 15 Gordon turnovers and turned those into 18 points.
- The Gulls converted 24-of-28 free throws for their most in the month of February this season.
FOR THE FOES
- Junior forward Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) notched another double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 15 rebounds.
- Freshman guard Eric Demers (West Wareham, Mass.) paced the Fighting Scots with 14 points.
- Duvivier was also in double-figures with 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and one block.
NOTES
- The Gulls and Fighting Scots met twice in the regular season, as Endicott swept the season series by scores of 75-60 and 80-73 earlier this season. Endicott is 21-17 all-time against Gordon dating back to the 1996 season.
- The Gulls have won the past four head-to-head matchups after losing five in a row against Gordon and are 10-9 at home all-time dating back to the 1996 season.
- Endicott and Gordon met tonight in postseason play for the first time since a 73-52 Gulls' loss in Wenham, Mass. on Tuesday, Feb. 23, 2010 in the TCCC Quarterfinals.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (16-10, 12-6 CCC) will face No. 1 seeded Nichols College in the CCC Semifinals on Thursday, February 25, 2016 in Dudley, Mass. at a time to be announced. Gordon (12-14, 9-9 CCC) sees its season come to an end. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
2016 CCC MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, February 23
#1 Nichols 107, #8 Western New England 67
#7 University of New England 61, #2 Wentworth 58
#6 Roger Williams 68, #3 Eastern Nazarene 67
#4 Endicott 86, #5 Gordon 76
Semifinals • Thursday, February 25
#1 Nichols vs. #4 Endicott, TBA (at higher seed)
#7 University of New England vs. #6 Roger Williams winner, TBA (at higher seed)
Championship Game • Saturday, February 27
Semifinal Winners, TBA (at higher seed)
