First Half Surge Propels Endicott Past No. 5 Nationally Ranked MIT, 90-73

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team knocked off No. 5 nationally ranked MIT, 90-73, on Thursday night at the Rockwell Cage behind a monumental 46-21 run over the final 15:08 of action in the first half.

Mathew Catizone (Woburn, Mass.) and Matt McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) were the catalysts in the first half for the Gulls as the duo scored 13 points and 11 points, respectively. As a team, Endicott shot 50.0-percent from the field (19-for-38), and, more importantly, 52.2-percent from beyond the arc (12-for-23) in the opening stanza to defeat its highest nationally ranked opponent in program history.

Trailing 11-6 with 15:27 to play in the first, Endicott's offense found another gear over the next 12:45 of action by outscoring MIT 39-16 and never trailed for the remainder of the game (45-27 lead).

MIT didn't go away quietly during Endicott's offensive outburst, however, as the Engineers cut its deficit down to one point on two separate occasions (18-17, 10:48 | 23-22, 8:53). The Gulls answered the latter run from MIT via four 3-pointers from 8:15 to 5:20 to jump ahead by a 35-27 score.

The Gulls offense then went on to score 10 unanswered points (5:20-2:42) to take a 45-27 lead, cause MIT to take its first timeout, and seize all momentum in the contest. McDevitt punctuated the 10-0 run with a three-pointer from the top of the arc (2:42) moments after converting an and-one in transition at 3:09.

In all, from the 8:53 mark of the first half until the close of the stanza, Endicott's 29-10 run, which featured six different scorers, also was a major fact in putting away MIT. McDevitt led the charge with eight points during that span, while Catizone had seven and Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) chipped in with six.

Meanwhile, Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) ended the night as Endicott's top point-getter with 19 total (8-19 FG, 3-7 3PT). Catizone finished with 16, McDevitt had 14, and Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.) rounded out the Gulls' double-digit scorers with 11 (3-5 FG, 3-5 3PT, 2-3 FT) and nine rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott is 3-2 in its last five games against nationally ranked opponents.
• Tonight's matchup was the first meeting between the two programs since November 29, 2007 and the first win for the Gulls in the all-time series.
• Endicott tied its program record for made three-pointers with 21 on the night (21-for-40). 
• Endicott's 12 three-pointers in the first half fell three shy of tying the program record of 15 set against the University of New England on December 5, 2017. The Gulls finished that game with a program record 21 made three-pointers (W, 115-91, most points in program history).
• As a team, Endicott saw five student-athletes make at least two 3-pointers in the first half (Pettway, Shehadi, McDevitt, Catizone, Clifford).
• The Gulls bench outscored MIT's, 40-6.
• Prior to tonight's season opener for MIT, the Engineers fell to Harvard University (NCAA DI), 78-66, on Tuesday, November 6. The Crimson claimed the 2018 Ivy League title and appeared in the NIT.
• Meanwhile, the Engineers are the two-time defending New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champions.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (2-0) takes on Suffolk University on Saturday, November 17 in the Babson College Tip-Off Tournament at 3 PM. No. 5 MIT (0-1) travels to Eastern Nazarene this Saturday at 2 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - David Le '10)