BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The visiting Endicott College men's basketball team posted a 91-80 over Bridgewater State University on Saturday evening at the Tinsley Center.
The Gulls improve to 3-2 on the season while the host Bears fall to 0-4.
Six players scored in double-figures for Endicott led by senior guard Keith Brown (Pelham, N.H.) who tallied a team-best 18 points. Freshman guard Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) added 15 points for the Gulls, while junior forward Matt McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) checked in with 13 and junior guard Jordan Pettway (Bridgeport, Conn.) notched ten. Junior forwards Louis Ellis (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Griffin Curtis (Salem, N.H.) contributed 12 and ten points off the bench, respectively.
Senior guard Ryan Carney (Easton, Mass.) paced Bridgewater State with a game-high 23 points to go along with eight rebounds and four assists. Senior forward Dimitri St. Louis (Brockton, Mass.) posted a double-double with 19 points and a game-best 14 boards as well as three blocked shots, while senior forward Rayshon Ward (Fayetteville, N.C.) added 15 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two blocks. Sophomore forward Jose Monteiro Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) scored 11 points to round out the Bears' double-digit point producers.
The first half featured nine ties and 12 lead changes. Trailing 20-17, the Bears used a 10-1 run, highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Carney and sophomore guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.), to take a 27-21 lead with 9 ½ minutes remaining in the first half. Endicott answered with a 11-3 run capped off by back-to-back Curtis layups to jump back in front, 32-30, with 5:31 showing on the scoreboard. The game would go back and forth until Brown knocked down a three-pointer with 47 seconds remaining in the stanza to give the Gulls a 42-40 lead at the break.
Carney scored 17 points in the first half as he was a perfect 5-for-5 from behind the arc. Echevarria tallied nine points over the first 20 minutes to place the Gulls.
The Bears shot 53% (16-30) from the floor in the opening stanza including 6-for-8 from long range. The Gulls connected on 56% (18-32) of their first-half field goal attempts.
A pair of Ward free throws to open the second half knotted the score at 44-44. Brown knocked down a pair of free throws on the ensuing possession to reclaim the lead for the Gulls. Endicott maintained the lead throughout the rest of the game. The Gulls would get up by as many as 14 points (76-62) in the second half and held a 78-66 lead with five minutes remaining in the contest.
The Bears used a late 11-4 run to cut the deficit to five (82-77) with just under two minutes left to play. Seven of the Bears' 11 points in that stretch came from the free throw line. Bridgewater, however, would score just three points (all of free throws) the rest of the way as the Gulls held on for the 91-80 victory.
Endicott shot 54% (33-61) for the game and finished 18-for-23 (78%) at the line.
Bridgewater shot just 29% (10-34) in the second half and 41% (26-64) for the game. The Bears, who tallied 18 of their 38 second-half points at the free throw line, went 22-for-29 (76%) at the stripe.
The Bears are back in action on Tuesday night when they entertain Rhode Island College at 7:30. The Gulls are off until Sunday, December 1st when they host Middlebury College at 2:00 PM.