BEVERLY, Mass.—Endicott made it a clean sweep in the season series with Gordon, holding onto a 10-point halftime lead to knock Gordon out of the Commonwealth Coast Conference tournament, 86-76. The Fighting Scots could not overcome the sharp-shooting Gulls in the second half despite trimming the deficit several times over the final 15 minutes.
The Gulls move on to play top-seeded Nichols, while Gordon ends its season at 12-14. The Fighting Scots return all five starters next year after playing with the youngest starting unit in the CCC this winter. Gordon finished two spots ahead of their preseason ranking, in fifth.
Gordon looked sharp early, racing out to a 7-0 lead over the first four minutes of the game while the Gulls pressed on offense. However, Endicott scored 15 of the next 17 points scored in the game with a heavy does of them coming from the charity stripe. Free throws heavily favored the Gulls in the first half with Endicott going 10-of-11 at the line, while Gordon received only two free-throw shots in the opening half.
Endicott led 22-15 with seven minutes and change in the first half when Gordon made another run to put the game back in contention. The Fighting Scots scored on four consecutive possessions, capped off by a
Jake Hart (Allendale, N.J.) triple, to take a 24-22 lead with five minutes to go.
However, Endicott's Drew Sawyer nailed a three just a few moments later and Endicott sprinted its way to a 38-28 lead after 20 minutes.
The Gulls held a comfortable advantage for most of the second half and looked poised to cruise into the second round, leading 72-56 with under eight minutes left on the clock. Gordon went on a meticulous 10-0 run spanning four minutes to cut the deficit to six.
Endicott never let the Scots get closer than that as the Gulls made 24-of-28 free throws in the game, including a 14-of-17 mark in the second half. Gordon received and made 11 fewer free throws, the difference in game the down the stretch.
For the Foes: - Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) had a game-high 22 points, four assists and three steals.
- Max Motroni (W. Warwick, R.I.) scored 21 points, including nine from the line.
- Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) and Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) combined for 25 points.
- Endicott's starting lineup went 22-of-24 from the free-throw line.
For the Scots:- Eric Demers (W. Wareham, Mass.) led Gordon in points with 14 in 30 minutes. The 14 points was the lowest for a Gordon leading scorer since Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) had 14 in a tight win against Salve Regina.
- Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) was the only Gordon player with a good night on the boards, finishing with 15. The junior took over sole possession of the double-double mark in the conference with his 15th of the season.
- Duvivier crossed the double-digit mark with 11 points, but only wrangled in five rebounds.
- Senior Udoka Obiora (Boston, Mass.) had a career game with 10 points, all while not missing a shot from the field. Obiora finished second on the team in made field goals behind Demers (six).
Quick Stats- Endicott's 24 made free throws was a season high against Gordon this season. Nichols made 22 last Tuesday at the Bennett Center.
- Gordon did not have a positive rebound margin for just the fourth time this season, second in conference play.
