BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team defeated crosstown rival Gordon College, 80-71, in a tightly-contested conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at MacDonald Gymnasium.
In a pre-game ceremony prior to the game, seniors Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.), John Homsey (Windham, N.H.), Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.), and Nick Thibeault (Gorham, Maine) were all honored for their contributions towards the men's basketball program and the Endicott community.
Meanwhile, as for the matchup between the two rivals, Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) led all scorers with 25 points (10-15 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT), six rebounds, five assists, and one steal.
Endicott also saw Matt McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) compile 20 points (7-14 FG, 6-11 3PT, 0-1 FT) and five rebounds, while Clifford added 12 points, four rebounds, two assists, a block and a steal in the win.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The largest lead for any team in today's game was nine, which was held by Endicott with 1:27 to play (80-71).
- Gordon's largest advantage was only five points (1st half, 16:25).
- Endicott took the lead for good with 14:53 remaining in the first half on a three-pointer by McDevitt.
- From there, the matchup was within one possession on 14 different occasions.
- Trailing 49-48 with 15:48 remaining in the game, Endicott closed out the contest with a 32-22 run.
- Brown contributed a team-high 13 points during that spurt, while McDevitt had five, Mathew Catizone (Woburn, Mass.) notched four, Clifford and Homsey each had three, and Thibeault and Jordan Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) produced two points apiece.
- Catizone's four points were crucial down the stretch for the Gulls as the junior guard buried a three-pointer in the corner at 11:32 and a free throw moments later after being fouled to bump Endicott's one point advantage to five (60-55).
- The Fighting Scots never cut their deficit to one point for the remainder of the game from that point on.
- Pettway finished with four points, five rebounds, a career-high eight assists, zero turnovers, and two steals.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (17-8, 10-6 CCC) will host Western New England on Tuesday, February 19 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament quarterfinals at 7 PM. Gordon (21-4, 13-3 CCC) will welcome Wentworth to its campus next Tuesday for a CCC Tournament quarterfinal matchup at 7 PM.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
