#15 Endicott Tops Men’s Basketball

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team fell late to the #15 Endicott Gulls on Wednesday evening. Colin Mannke led the Leopards with 20 points and nine rebounds. Russel Dolabany and Dylan Olson both went 3-4 from behind the arc and added a combined 23 points. Donovan Holway scored eight points, shooting 4-7 from the field, and tallied five rebounds and two assists.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Olson and Mannke got on the board in the early going to answer Endicott's strong start to the game. The Gulls led by six before Dolabany's triple made it 11-8 five minutes into the contest. Wentworth grabbed a few big rebounds on both ends of the glass to keep the game within one possession. Marcus Montagnino's layup gave the Gulls a 22-12 lead with just over 10 minutes remaining before Olson's three-point play and a pair of free throws from Jayden Williams brought the Leopards within five with 10:15 to play in the half.
• Davis Lunn answered a Caden Sullivan three with a three of his own to keep the pressure on and the deficit at five points. Chase Mello's jumper brought Wentworth within six after an Endicott run, but the hosts maintained a nine point edge thanks to a three from Joey DaSilva. Williams' layup cut the lead to seven with just over a minute to play before a defensive board from Weeman and layup from Mannke made it a 40-35 game with 43 seconds left in the half. Lunn grabbed another big defensive rebound late in the frame and the Leopards trailed by five at the half.
• Wentworth shot 45% from the field in the first half and had a 15-14 edge in defensive rebounds. Mannke led the Black & Gold with 11 first-half points.
• Dolabany's free throws and Donovan Holway's cut the lead to three points just a minute into the second half. The teams exchanged buckets with Olson knocking down another three to keep it a three-point game. Chase Mello's layup cut the deficit to just one before Holway came down with a defensive rebound. Andy Weeman knocked down a three to give Wentworth the lead for the first time in the game, 49-47. Endicott answered quickly with back-to-back threes to retake the lead. The Leopards would not go away as Dolabany followed with a three to make it a one-point game again with 14:26 remaining.
• Lunn finished a nice layup, and Mello drilled a three to tie the game at 57-57 as the game headed into the final 13 minutes. Aiden Flaherty's steal led to a Williams layup, putting the Leopards back in front. Endicott battled back and the teams went back-and-forth, exchanging buckets. Endicott took a 69-68 lead with 5:49 left behind a jumper from Montagnino. Olson hit a three in the final minute to make it a three-point game and Endicott called a timeout with 26 seconds to play. Mannke grabbed a huge defensive board to give Wentworth a chance to tie, but Holway's three did not fall, and the Gulls held on to win 79-76.

THE SERIES

• Tonight was the 52^nd all-time meeting between the teams.

NEXT UP

• Wentworth will host Nichols on Tuesday, February 3.

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