Salem State Edges Endicott, 94-91

BEVERLY, Mass. – Salem State sophomore guard Alex De La Rosa (Boston, Mass.) drained a game-winning three-pointer from the right wing with 17.7-seconds remaining in the contest to lift the Vikings past Endicott, 94-91, on Tuesday night.

Trailing 91-89 with 35.4-seconds to play, junior guard Sean Bryan (Lowell, Mass.) set up the game-winning shot when he penetrated the paint from the left wing, faked a layup attempt near the elbow and dished a smooth cross-court pass to a wide-open De La Rosa, who calmly buried the dagger.

De La Rosa's three-ball capped a 17-1 run for Salem State as the Vikings erased a 90-75 deficit with 4:47 left to go in the matchup. De La Rosa and Bryan fueled the run with six points apiece, while Tyreik McCauley (Worcester, Mass.) added five points during the comeback effort.

Bryan later iced the game via a pair of free throws with 0.6-seconds on the clock to finish with a game-high 28 points (9-18 FG, 3-6 3PT, 7-7 FT).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) paced the Gulls with a team-high 23 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor, highlighted by a 7-of-9 effort from beyond the arc. His 23 points also fell one shy of tying his career-high.
• Clifford did most of his damage in the second half as the senior forward connected on six straight three-pointers over the course of 8:37 of action (13:24-4:47).
• Jordan Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) posted a career-high 15 points (6-7 FG, 2-2 3PT, 1-1 FT) to go along with five assists, two rebounds, and a steal.
• Endicott led the contest for 39:26.
• Salem State's only lead of the matchup came on De La Rosa's game-winner.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (6-3) takes on Colby-Sawyer in the Salem State Holiday Tournament on Saturday, December 29 at 5 PM. Salem State (4-7) hosts Thomas (Me.) in its holiday tournament on Saturday, December 29 at 7 PM. 

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

(Photo Credit - David Le '10)