CCC CHAMPIONSHIP: No. 3 Endicott Falls to No. 1 Nichols, 98-89

DUDLEY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team traveled to No. 1 Nichols College for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship game and were handed a 98-89 loss. 

The first half was a back and forth game with Endicott eventually going on a 6-0 run in the closing minutes to take a 55-49 lead heading into halftime. 

Nichols came out in the second half looking to rally and did just that to regain the lead. The Gulls kept battling though and found themselves up by one point with just under four and a half minutes left in regulation. 

However, the Bison - ranked No. 22 in the country - went on a 15-5 run in the last four minutes to secure the victory and the CCC title for the second year in a row.

Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) led Endicott with 34 points, while Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) added 15 points. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) dished out a team-high five assists throughout the game and also tallied 14 points (5-6 FG, 4-5 3PT).
• Rob O'Brien (Rindge, N.H.) contributed 10 points, two blocks, and a team-leading seven rebounds.
• Both teams recorded 33 rebounds during the contest.
• The game saw a total of 10 ties and 10 lead changes.

FOR THE FOES

• Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) led the Bison with 33 points (11-22 FG, 5-12 3PT, 6-7 FT). 
• DeAnte Bruton (New London, Conn.) added 27 points. 
• Jerome Cunningham (Westbury, N.Y.) recorded a team-high seven rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott finishes the season with an overall record of 19-9 and 12-6 in CCC play. Nichols (25-3, 16-2 CCC) earns an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament with the win. 

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(Photo Credit - Nick Grace)