Men's Basketball's ECAC Tournament Run Ends with Semifinal Loss to JWU

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Endicott men's basketball season came to close on Saturday in the semifinal round of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) as the #6 seed Gulls fell to the #2 seed Johnson & Wales (R.I.) 83-75. Endicott ends their 2013-14 campaign with an 18-10 overall record, increasing their win total by nine victories over the previous season.

Endicott made their first ECAC Tournament appearance since the 2006-07 season and have recorded at least 15 wins in three of their five seasons under head coach Phil Rowe. Rowe's Gulls were the top scoring team in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) this season at 81.4 ppg as well as the leading rebounders at 41.7 rpg. 

The Gulls were led offensively by junior guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) who scored 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting including 2-of-3 from three-point range with five rebounds and an assist. Henault ends the season as the team leader in scoring at 13.6 ppg as he collected All-CCC Second Team honors and surpassed 1,000 career points this season. Junior forward Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) netted 12 points with two blocks and senior guard Greg Jacques (Dorchester, Mass.) added 11 points with four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block in his final collegiate game.

Graduate student guard Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) ended his four years in the Blue and Green with a nine-point game and finishes his career fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,260 points.

JWU was led by four players in double figures including a game-high 19 points from senior forward Esaie Touze (Providence, R.I.) who also recorded a double-double with 11 rebounds. Touze hit 7-of-11 shots from the floor and 5-of-7 free throw attempts. Defensively, Touze had four steals and a block. Eighteen points apiece for Curtis Lucas (Providence, R.I.) and Robert Lewis (Baltimore, Md.) as well as 15 points from sophomore guard Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) fueled the Wildcats' offensive success.

As a team, JWU hit 51.6% of their field goal attempts and went 4-of-9 from beyond the three-point line. The Wildcats were also successful at the free throw line, sinking 15-of-20 attempts for a .750 clip. JWU held a 40-34 rebounding advantage with Touze's 11 leading all players and Lewis adding nine, including four on the offensive glass.

Endicott's leading rebounder in this game was freshman forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) who hauled in six defensive caroms while dropping in six points. Off the bench, the Blue and Green got seven points, two steals, and an assist from freshman guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) and six points, three rebounds, and two assists from junior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.).