BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team defeated crosstown rival Gordon College, 92-82, on Saturday evening at MacDonald Gymnasium.
Prior to tip-off, seniors Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.), Drew Brown (Pelham, N.H.), Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.), Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.), and Taylor Yates (Saint Albans, Vt.) were all honored for their contributions to the men's basketball program and the College in a pre-game ceremony.
McLaren paced the Gulls with 20 points (6-8 FG, 2-2 3PT, 6-6 FT) and 12 rebounds, both career-highs.
Echevarria also poured in 17 points (6-13 FG, 1-5 3PT, 4-4 FT) to become the second all-time leading scorer in program history. The senior guard accomplished the feat with a mid-range pull-up jumper at the 5:27 mark of the second half.
Meanwhile, Barrett nearly registered a triple-double with 17 points, nine assists, and eight rebounds.
Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) and Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) rounded out the double-digit scorers with 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Endicott never trailed in the contest and led by as many as 16 points (70-54) with 9:48 remaining in the contest (Homsey layup).
Gordon didn't back down despite the differential eventually bringing the game within three points, 70-67 (7:46 to play).
The Gulls countered with a 6-0 spurt over the next two minutes, 76-67 (1:51), and a 22-15 run overall down the stretch to seal the victory.
McLaren (6), Barrett (5), Boen (5), Echeverria (4), and Kinney (2) all contributed points late in the matchup.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- In 107 games played (105 starts), Echevarria has scored 1,895 points for the Gulls via the following shooting totals – 668-1513 FG, 44.2%; 232-685 3PT, 33.9%; 327-405 FT, 80.7%.
- Echevarria surpassed Endicott Hall of Famer Kamahl Walker '17 (Worcester, Mass.) for second all-time on the scoring list – Walker compiled 1,894 points in 111 games played (89 starts) during his time as a Gull.
- The Gulls are 32-23 all-time against Gordon (winners of back-to-back games).
- Endicott outscored the Fighting Scots 34-22 in the paint and 38-26 in bench points.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (17-8, 11-5 CCC) has earned the third seed in the upcoming Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Tournament. The Gulls will host No. 6 Suffolk on Tuesday, February 20 at 7 PM.
Gordon sees its 2023-24 season come to a close at 5-20, 2-14 CCC.
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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)
