Men’s Basketball Tops Clark, 93-80

SALEM, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team defeated Clark University, 93-80, in its final game of the Salem State Holiday Tournament on Saturday evening at Twohig Gymnasium.

Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) dropped a game-high 34 points (13-27 FG, 6-13 3PT, 2-4 FT) to lead the Gulls, while fellow starters Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) and Nick Thibeault (Gorham, Maine) contributed 17 and 14 points, respectively. Endicott also saw Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) post 12 points off the bench in the win.

The Gulls never trailed in the contest, as Endicott broke two early ties at the 19:19 (3-3) and 16:11 (11-11) marks of the first half, respectively, before pulling away from Clark the rest of the way. Endicott led for 38:49 out of a possible 40:00 of play, or 97.0% of the game.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Brown was named Endicott's Team MVP for the Salem State Holiday Tournament.
• Brown recorded his third 30-plus point game of the season (45, 38, 34).
• Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.) dished out a game-high and career-high seven assists.
• Endicott led by as many as 18 with 12:22 remaining in the matchup.
• The Gulls held a 38-34 advantage in points in the paint, and a 43-37 differential on the boards.

FOR THE FOES

• Luca McCormick (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) guided Clark offensively with 19 points (7-15 FG, 3-8 3PT, 2-3 FT).
• Biko Gayman (Fort Pierce, Fla.) chipped in with 17 points (7-17 FG, 1-3 3PT, 2-2 FT), while John Pisacreta (Andover, Mass.) had 13 points.
• Adam Converse (Woodstock, Conn.) and Patrick Bugler (Marblehead, Mass.) added 10 points each off the bench.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (7-3) travels to Eastern Nazarene on Thursday, January 4 at 7:30 PM. Clark (3-8) host Wheaton College (Mass.) on Wednesday, January 3 at 11 AM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)