Gulls Battle Their Way to a CCC Championship Title

Gulls Battle Their Way to a CCC Championship Title
February 28, 2004

Feb. 28, 2004

The Endicott College Gulls came alive in the second half of the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Championship game, overcoming an 18 point deficit, to propel the game into double overtime and win, 83-76, tonight versus the Colby Sawyer Chargers. In a repeat of last years championship game Colby Sawyer traveled to Endicott, and in front of 1350 fans the Gulls avenged last year's loss, giving them an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament. The Gulls won their last conference title in 2000, since then, Colby Sawyer has claimed the title winning the past three years.

The first half didn't fair well for the Gulls as Colby Sawyer used a 22-7 run in the final 10 minutes to take a 37-22 lead at the half. The Chargers extended the lead to 19 with 12 minutes left in the game before the Gulls rallied back to pull even with 1:56 to go on a basket by freshman Rookie of the Year, Nemanja Marinkovic. The Gulls then took the lead on a Josh Oxton basket and looked like they had the win, but Tyler Putnam tipped in a failed 3 point Charger attempt with a second to go to tie the score, 57-57, and send the game into its first overtime.

The Gulls and Chargers battled back and forth in the first overtime, but neither team came out victorious. Senior Jeremy Currier scored 6 quick points in the second overtime to give the Gulls a solid advantage and Oxton nailed his free throws to seal the win for the Gulls.

Marinkovic led all scorers with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Oxton added 17 (going 7-8 from the free throw line) and Currier tallied 16 points. Sophomore Matt George joined them in double digits with 11.

Pat Kenny led the Charger offense with 19 points (12 of which were in the first half) and 6 steals. Collin Bray (18 points), Andrew St. Clair (14 points, 16 rebounds), and Chris Condon (13 points) all finished with double digits.

With a record of 23-4 the Gulls hope to host a first round NCAA game this Thursday. At 19-8 the Chargers will now look for an ECAC Division III bid.