BOSTON, Mass. – The Endicott College men's basketball team posted an 89-71 victory over Bridgewater State University on Friday evening at the EC Tip-Off Classic hosted by Emmanuel College at the Jean Yawkey Center.

The Gulls (1-0) were playing in their first game of the 2021-2022 season, while the Bears fall to 0-2 with the setback.

Senior guard Billy Arseneault (Lynnfield, Mass.) paced Endicott with 18 points, five rebounds and three assists, while junior guard Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) tallied 14 points, three rebounds and a pair of assists. Senior guard Cameron Ray (Lowell, Mass.) and senior forward Dillon Grant (Dennis, Mass.) also finished in double-figure scoring for the Gulls. Ray notched 13 points to go along with four rebounds, three assists and a steal. Grant checked in with 11 points, four rebounds and a game-best four blocked shots.

The Gulls jumped out to a 24-7 lead eight minutes into the contest and got up by as many as 19 points in the first half including the intermission score of 48-29. Endicott extended the lead to as much as 24 points on five separate occasions in the second half and cruised to the 89-71 victory.

Senior guard Alan Pettway (Worcester, Mass.) led the way for Bridgewater State with 18 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals. Freshman center Camden Dunbury (Pocasset, Mass.) added 17 points, a game-high six rebounds, one steal and a blocked shot for the Bears, while sophomore forward Keyth Key (Springfield, Mass.) notched ten points and four rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench.

Endicott shot 48% (31-65) from the floor including 16 of 37 (43%) from behind the arc.. The Gulls also went 11-for-15 (73%) from the free throw line.

The Bears struggled with their shooting for the second straight game. Bridgewater shot just 37% (26-71) from the floor, 26% (5-19) from three-point range and 64% (14-22) at the charity stripe.

The Bears held a 44-41 rebounding advantage with a 14-6 edge on the offensive glass.

The EC Tip-Off Classic continues for both teams on Saturday evening. The Bears take on host Emmanuel at six o'clock, while the Gulls face off against Framingham State University at eight.