Gulls' NCAA Run Ends In 91-83 (OT) Second Round Heartbreaker vs. Wooster

NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET

TOURNAMENT CENTRAL HOSTED BY CATHOLIC

COACH BETTENCOURT'S POSTGAME INTERVIEW

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Endicott men's basketball team's NCAA run came to an end in heartbreaking fashion against The College of Wooster, falling 91-83 in overtime in the Second Round of the 2016 NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Tournament inside the DuFour Center on Saturday night.

The Gulls opened the game with a three-pointer by junior forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) at 19:38, before the Fighting Scots tied the score at 3-all on the next possession with freshman guard Mitch Balser (Centerville, Ohio) draining a three at 19:13.

Wooster took its first lead of the game at 7-6 on junior forward/center Dan Fanelly's (Uniontown, Ohio) layup at 15:20, but it was Endicott who put its foot on the gas after going up 10-8 and caught fire with an 8-0 run from the 6:17 mark to 4:06 to lead 25-14 and then carried a 33-27 advantage into the locker room at the break.

It was a strong defensive effort early on as the score was stalled at 11-10 in favor of Endicott at 10:03 until junior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) sunk a three-pointer at 7:31 to end the scoring drought for both teams.

In the second half, it was Endicott in the driver's seat as the Gulls held 12-point leads five different times throughout the game, including four in the second stanza.

Wooster kept fighting and chipped away to eventually bring it within a two point game, down 70-68, with 1:25 remaining in regulation after trimming several 12 point deficits in the game.

Walker's pair of free throws made it 72-68 with 1:18 on the clock, but junior forward Milt Davis (Cincinnati, Ohio) knocked down a clutch trey with 0:38 left to make it 72-71, and the Scots stole the ball with 23 ticks for a layup to take a 73-72 lead for their first advantage since the 15:20 mark of the first half.

Walker got fouled on the ensuing possession and made the second of two free throws to tie the game at 73 with seven seconds remaining as the teams headed to overtime.

Wooster struck first in OT with a bucket from Fanelly and Endicott grabbed its only edge of the extra period, 76-75, on junior guard Max Motroni's (West Warwick, R.I) two free throws as the Scots slowly pulled away for good as they punched their ticket to the NCAA DIII Sweet Sixteen.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• This was the Gulls' second NCAA overtime game in program history, and fourth overtime game this season in which Endicott has a 1-3 record.
• Endicott had never before played Wooster on the hardwood until tonight.
• Motroni has scored in double figures in all 29 games he has appeared in this season, with nine games scoring 20+ points, as he scored a game-high 23 points.
• The Gulls placed three in double figures as junior guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) joined Motroni (23) and Walker (20) with 12 points off the bench on a game-high 4-of-6 from three-point range.
• Junior guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) tied for a game-high with eight rebounds to go with his seven points.

FOR THE FOES

• Wooster has reached the Div. III sectional round ("Sweet 16") 10 times over the last 18 years, highlighted by runs to the 2011 national championship game and to the semifinals two other times (2003, 2007).
• The Fighting Scots placed four student-athletes in double figures as sophomore guard Spencer Williams (Bedford, Ohio)chipped in 19 points, freshman guard Reece Dupler (Newark, Ohio) added 18 points in addition to his team-high eight rebounds (tied for game-high), and Balser netted 16 points to go with Fanelly's team-high 20 points.
• Wooster's largest lead of the night was 10 points, up 91-81 with 17 seconds remaining in overtime.

NOTES

• After winning their third Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) title in the past five years, the Gulls made their seventh overall NCAA appearance (second consecutive) in program history and advanced to the Second Round for the first time in program history.
• Second-year head coach Kevin Bettencourt, Bucknell '06 has led the Gulls to a 42-17 overall record in his tenure and is the second coach in the team's history to bring his team to back-to-back NCAA Tournaments.

WHAT'S NEXT

Wooster (23-7) advances to the NCAA's Sectional Round ("Sweet 16") on March 11 and will face Oswego St. (22-8), who downed Gwynedd Mercy University, 78-77, in Marietta, Ohio, while Endicott (19-11) sees its season come to a close. 

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 

NCAA DIII MEN'S BASKETBALL FIRST/SECOND ROUND SCHEDULE

FIRST ROUND

Friday, March 4, 2016

All First/Second Round games hosted by Catholic University of America

 Game 1: Wooster 96, No. 14 Lancaster Bible 83

Game 2: Endicott 84, No. 22 Catholic 76

SECOND ROUND

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Wooster (23-7) 91, Endicott (19-11) 83 (OT)

THIRD ROUND

Friday, March 11, 2016

Wooster (23-7) vs. Oswego St. (22-8)