Nor'easters Defeat Gulls, 87-79

BIDDEFORD, Maine— The Endicott men's basketball team was handed an 87-79 loss by the University of New England on Saturday afternoon at the Harold Alfond Forum. 

The Gulls were led by Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) with 29 points (13-14 FG, 1-1 3PT, 2-3 FT), while Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) contributed 18 points and Matt McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) had 11 points. 

The majority of the game was back and forth, with five ties and 15 lead changes throughout. Endicott maintained a lead through most of the first half, going up by as many as eight at one point, but UNE was able to bring it to a one-point deficit heading into halftime. 

UNE ended up taking the lead for good with 9:09 left in the second half when Ryan Matthews (Park Ridge, N.J.) made three free throws. Endicott attempted to rally but the Nor'easters were able to secure an 87-79 victory. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• McDevitt led the team in rebounds with eight, while Villa, Brown, Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.), and Rob O'Brien (Rindge, N.H.) each pulled down six. 
• Villa had a team-high six assists throughout the contest. 
• Mathew Catizone (Woburn, Mass.) and Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) recorded two blocks each. 
• Endicott held a slight 54-52 rebound advantage. 
• The Gulls are now 23-11 all-time against UNE.

FOR THE FOES

• Daron Hoges (West Orange, N.J.) led the team in points with 14, Alex Kravchuk (Mansfield, Conn.) and Gavin Dibble (Greenport, N.Y.) were close behind with 13 and 12 points, respectively.
• Jackson McCoy (East Montpelier, Vt.) had nine rebounds throughout the game. 
• The Nor'easters saw 44 points come from the bench. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (12-5, 7-3 CCC) hosts Nichols on Wednesday, Jan. 24 at 7:30 PM. UNE (7-9, 5-4 CCC) hosts Nichols on Monday, Jan. 22 at 6 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)