Total Team Effort Propels Endicott Past Western New England, 69-59

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team used a total team effort to defeat Western New England, 69-59, in conference action on Tuesday night at MacDonald Gymnasium. 

Endicott received 38 points from its starters and 31 more via its bench – which included a team-high 17 points from Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) – to push the Gulls' winning streak to three straight games and end Western New England's at four in a row. 

Along with Clifford's 17 points, Endicott saw Joe Del Ricci (Greenville, R.I.) compile six points and four rebounds off the bench, while Jordan Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) racked up eight points, four rebounds, two assists, and a steal as a reserve. 

Western New England led for the majority of the first half – minus a three-pointer from Del Ricci at 2:56 which tied the game at 24-24 – but Endicott opened the second stanza with a 12-6 run and took over the lead for good. Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.), Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.), Thibeault, Rob O'Brien (Rindge, N.H.) and Clifford all contributed points during the run. Clifford capped the spurt by splashing a three-ball at 15:41 to push the Gulls ahead 38-37. 

From there, Clifford banged home another three-pointer at 13:54 to spark a 17-8 run, which gave Endicott a 58-45 advantage with 5:00 to play and the Gulls maintained their double-digit lead the rest of the way. Clifford took over the game during that stretch pouring in 12 points, including two 3-pointers. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Thibeault finished with 10 points, three rebounds, and an assist.
• Villa had nine points, five boards, one assist, and two steals.
• O'Brien had five points, a team-high seven rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
• Shehadi notched 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
• The Gulls held Western New England to its second worst field goal percentage this season (32.8). 

FOR THE FOES

• Mikey Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) logged a game-high 20 points, alongside eight rebounds, four assists, and two swipes.
• Mike McGuire (Garden City, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds.
• Tim Reilly (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) posted eight points and four rebounds. 

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (9-3, 4-1 CCC) travels to crosstown rival Gordon on Thursday, January 11 at 7:30 PM. Western New England (5-6, 2-3 CCC) hosts Curry on Thursday, January 11 at 5:30 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)