Endicott Sits Atop CCC Standings With 71-57 Win At Western New England

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Junior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) led the Gulls with 17 points and junior forward Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) grabbed a career-high 11 rebounds as the Endicott men's basketball team took home a 71-57 win at Western New England Saturday afternoon inside the Alumni Healthful Living Center in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action.

With the win, the Gulls improved to 8-5 overall and 5-1 in conference play, while Western New England fell to 4-8 on the season and 2-4 in the CCC.

In a game that would feature three ties and 10 lead changes,  Endicott held a slim 34-32 advantage at halftime behind a team-leading nine points apiece from Motroni and freshman guard Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.), while Golden Bears' freshman guard Mike Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) led the floor with 15 points at the break.

Trailing 34-32 after a back-and-forth first half, Western New England opened the second half with a three-pointer from junior guard Mike Gelineau (Waltham, Mass.), and led by four (40-36) following a layup by Pettway at the 17:16 mark. The Golden Bears eventually extended their advantage to six (47-41) as Pettway knocked down a jumper with just under 13 minutes remaining in the contest, but the Gulls responded with a 6-0 run to tie the score.

Western New England held its final lead of the game (51-50) on another mid-range jumper by Pettway with 8:45 on the clock, as Endicott utilized a 16-4 run over the next four minutes to open up an 11-point cushion (66-55). Motroni nailed a pair of triples and added two free throws to key the run, while junior guard  Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) and junior guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) also connected from long range.
 
Endicott eventually extended its lead to 16 (71-55) with a minute and a half remaining, as the Golden Bears were held to just four points over the final 5:38 of regulation.

Motroni powered the Gulls with 17 points (6-13 FG, 3-7 3PT, 2-2 FT) alongside two assists and three rebounds in 30 minutes of action.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Gulls placed two student-athletes in double figures (Motroni and Walker.)
• Walker entered today's action averaging a CCC-leading 24.6 points per game and extended his double-digit scoring streak to 25 games, though he was held scoreless in the first half. Walker contributed 11 points, five rebounds and three assists over the final 20 minutes of regulation.
• Basden pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds.
• The Gulls' converted a season-high 12 of 28 attempts from three point range.
• The Gulls took just seven free throws (made five) for their fewest attempts of the season.
• Endicott committed nine turnovers in the game, its third lowest number this season, while forcing 14 Golden Bear turnovers.
• Endicott has won four games in a row for the first time this season.

FOR THE FOES

• Pettway led all scorers with a game-high and career-high 29 points on 10-of-15 from the field, 1-of-2 from three point land and 8-of-8 at the free throw line to go with five rebounds, three assists and one steal.
• The Golden Bears placed two other student-athletes in double figures as senior center Zack Askew (Middleton, Conn.) and senior forward Don Stephens (West Palm Beach, Fla.) each chipped in 11 points apiece.
• WNE has lost three of its last four games.
• WNE's largest lead was a six point advantage (47-41) with 13:35 remaining in the second half.

NOTES

• Endicott is now 10-5 all-time against the Golden Bears, as the most recent meeting before today was a 76-52 win at home on Feb. 24, 2015 in the CCC Quarterfinals.
• The Gulls have won eight straight against WNE and are 5-3 on the road all-time dating back to 2007 in head-to-head matchups.

WHAT'S NEXT

Both teams are back in action on Thursday, January 14 at 7:30 p.m. as the Gulls (8-5, 5-1 CCC) take on Wentworth on the road, while Western New England (4-8, 2-4 CCC) plays host to Salve Regina. 

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