Callo leads Endicott back into win column
Jan. 27, 2009
BEVERLY, Mass. - Freshman forward Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half as Endicott College found its way back into the win column with a 70-63 win over Wheelock College on Tuesday night in Beverly, Mass. The win improves the Gulls to 7-10 overall while the Wildcats fall to 4-12.
The opening half was a feeling out process as the two teams traded buckets for the first seven minutes of action. Endicott grabbed a slight three-point lead at the 13:44 mark as Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) and Chris Galbraith (Lowell, Mass.) scored on back-to-back possessions to put the Gulls ahead, 11-8.
Wheelock battled its way ahead with just over three minutes left in the frame as Victor Kashouh (Providence, R.I.) took a nice pass from Sherard Robbins (Malden, Mass.) and went high off the glass for two. Endicott responded with an 11-2 run to end the half as Montrond and Kevin McGuire (New City, N.Y.) dialed in from behind the arc to send the Gulls into the intermission with a 28-22 lead.
The six point halftime advantage proved to be enough cushion for the hosts, as Endicott never trailed in the second half. Erik Callo scored 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds in just 15 minutes of action in the second, keeping the streaking Wildcats at bay in the closing minutes. The Gulls also showcased a deep bench on Tuesday, as the Endicott reserves outscored the Wheelock subs, 44-16.
Callo paced the Blue and Green with 21 points and 10 rebounds in 19 total minutes. The freshman was 6-of-7 from the field and 9-of-12 from the free-throw line to contribute to his double-double. Sophomore guard Mike Rhodes (Amston, Conn.) notched 11 points while junior Kevin McGuire had 11 points and two steals. Bobby Montrond rounded out the night with 10 points, six assists, seven steals and six rebounds.
Wheelock got a game-high 24 point effort from freshman Kyle Pierce (Burlington, Mass.). Sherard Robbins also stayed steady with his double-double average, notching 12 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Endicott steps back into The Commonwealth Coast Conference action on Thursday as the Gulls travel to Bristol, R.I. to take on Roger Williams in a critical match-up at 8:00 p.m. Wheelock will face Newbury College on the same evening at 7:00 p.m.