Endicott Works Overtime to Defeat Men's Basketball

BOSTON, Mass. – Freshman Kamahl Walker's (Worcester, Mass.) two free throws with 3.3 seconds left in overtime lifted the Endicott College men's basketball team to a 78-77 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at Tansey Gymnasium.

With the win the Gulls, who rallied from a six-point deficit with 54 seconds left in overtime, won their second game in a row to improve to 13-3 overall and 7-2 in CCC play. The Leopards saw their record even at 8-8 (5-4) after dropping their second straight.

Endicott scored the first four points of the game as freshman Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) hit one of two free throws and junior John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) drained a 3-pointer. Wentworth would respond with a 13-2 run, taking a 13-6 lead on a junior John-Michael Fragnoli (Scotia, N.Y.) layup with 13:52 remaining in the half.

The Leopards would lead by as many as a dozen on three occasions, including when senior Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) drove to the basket with 5:24 left. Both teams were held without a point for the next two and a half minutes until Walker converted a transition layup for the Gulls with 2:52 left and the hosts would take a 36-28 lead into the locker room.

Endicott held Wentworth scoreless for the first 4:46 of the second half, cutting the lead to three before junior Ray Bessette (Dedham, Maine) hit a 3-pointer to push the lead back to six and would lead, 44-37, on a Fragnoli basket with 14:06 left.

The Gulls used an 11-4 spurt over the next four and a half minutes and tied the game on a basket by Walker. However, junior Nico Donato (Glatonbury, Conn.) scored five consecutive points to put the Black & Gold ahead, 53-48, with 9:06 left.

After a junior Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) layup trimmed the lead to five, Mayo hit two free throws and drained a three to put the Leopards ahead, 58-50, with 6:10 left. The Gulls responded with a 9-0 run, capped off by one of two free throws from Sampson, and took a 59-58 lead with 2:44 left.

Donato and Samspon traded baskets and Walker hit two free throws to give Endicott a three-point edge before senior Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) hit one of two free throws with 43 seconds left to give the Gulls a four-point edge.

Freshman Jherson Colon (Boston, Mass.) hit two free throws with 32 seconds left, and, on the ensuing inbounds play, Donato stole the pass and laid it in to tie the game at 64-all. Endicott turned the ball over on its next possession, however the Leopards couldn't capitalize as Colon's shot attempt missed and went out of bounds with 3.9 ticks left. Henault had a chance to win the game from the right side with a shot from behind the arc, however his attempt rimmed out.

In overtime, Wentworth led by as many as six on two occasions, including after two free throws from Bessette made it 75-69 with 54 seconds left. Endicott got five straight points from sophomore Chris Light (Derry, N.H.) to make it a one-point game before Walker hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to put the Gulls ahead, 76-75.

Sophomore Ronnie Turner (Lewiston, Maine) put the Leopards back on top with two free throws of his own with 10 seconds left before Walker was fouled driving to the lane and sank both shots for the 10th and final lead change of the night.

Wentworth had two chances at the end to claim the win as Bessette missed a baseline jumper from the left side, to which Fragnoli had a tip-in attempt at the buzzer that rimmed out.

Magee led Endicott with 18 points to go along with four assists, while Walker added 17 points and three steals, and Sampson had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Colon came off the bench to score 19 for Wentworth with Mayo (17) and Donato (13) also scoring in double figures. Turner had eight rebeounds and Bessette and Colon each had four assists.

Both teams return to action on Saturday as Endicott is at Eastern Nazarene and Wentworth is at Curry.