Gulls Outlast Seahawks, 68-67
Feb. 17, 2007
BEVERLY, MA - The Endicott College men's basketball team closed out the regular season in dramatic fashion on Saturday, as the Gulls erased a seven point half time deficit in a come from behind, 68-67 win over Salve Regina University on Senior Day in Beverly, MA. Endicott Seniors Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Second Baptist, Houston TX), Tom Connor (Kittery, ME/Traip Academy), and Mike Sullivan (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield) were all honored before the game.
The Gulls quickly fell behind 4-0 in the early stages of the first half. Senior center Mike Sullivan got the Gulls on the board as he knocked down a fade away jumper from the elbow, breaking the ice at 4-2. Following a Salve Regina basket, Todd Burton (Lynn, MA/St. Mary's/Canterbury School) found Nemanja Marinkovic with a pretty bounce pass on the baseline for a strong two, pulling the Gulls back within one.
On the very next possession, Salve showed their strength inside as Matt Grendal (Foxboro, MA/Foxboro) scored three the old fashioned way, as the senior forward picked up the hoop and the foul to extend the Seahawk lead to 9-5. Moments later, the Gulls responded as Ross Stewart (Palm Harbor, FL/East Lake High School) evened the game at 12-all as he connected from behind the arc on a nice skip pass from Marinkovic.
The Seahawks built a resilient 21-14 lead over the next four minutes, yet the Gulls found a way to fight their way back into the contest. Joey Burogs (Lawrence, MA/Lawrence) got the Gulls back within one, as the 6-5 sophomore knifed his way through the paint and connected on a beautiful jump stop lay-in, making the score 23-22. The game's next three possessions featured the 3-ball, as SRU's Jon Hazzard (North Kingstown, RI/North Kingstown) answered the Endicott rally with a three. Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, ME/Cheverus) came right back for the Gulls, as the freshman guard connected from long-range, 26-25. Justin Woodworth (Ipswich, MA/Ipswich) ended the three-point flurry as he cashed in from deep, putting the Seahawks up 29-25. Salve would ride their first half momentum into the intermission, holding onto a 38-31 advantage.
The second half brought a revved up Endicott team back to the court. Sophomore Joey Burogs, who had a relatively quiet first half, led the Gulls out of the locker room by scoring the first seven points for the Blue and Green to pull Endicott within five. The Gulls would cut the lead to one as Whitelaw knocked down a pull up jumper at the twelve minute mark, bringing the score to 52-51.
The next eight minutes were a back-and-forth battle, as both teams exchanged buckets. Mike Sullivan grabbed a big offensive rebound and nailed the put-back, cutting the lead to 63-60. Nemanja Marinkovic brought the lead to just one as he ran baseline and sunk a nifty-up and under reverse lay-up, pulling the Gulls back within one. On the next Endicott possession, Marinkovic got to the line and grabbed the first EC lead of the day as he sunk a freebie, putting the home team up 64-63.
Chris Goodridge (Merrimack, NH/Merrimack) responded for the Seahawks as he knocked down a jumper to put the visitors up 65-64 with just over a minute remaining in regulation. Mike Sullivan fired right back for Endicott as he buried two of his 12 on the day on a nice feed from Joey Burgos, regaining the lead 66-65. On the next Salve possession, it was Goodridge again who put the visitors up, as he hit a jumper pushing the Seahawks to a 67-66 lead. Endicott's Nemanja Marinkovic refused to lose on his Senior Day, putting the team on his shoulders as he fought his way inside, picking up the shooting foul. The senior forward knocked down both his free-throw attempts, putting Endicott ahead 68-67. The visitors had a look with three-ticks left, however Endicott's Mike Sullivan came up with the game-saving block as the Gulls were able to hold on for the 68-67 win.
Endicott was led by Joey Burgos' game-high 18 points and nine rebounds. Mike Sullivan, Graham Whitelaw and Nemanja Marinkovic each turned in 12 points in the win. Salve Regina was led by Matt Grendal's 16 points, while Chris Goodridge dropped 14 points and dished out three assists in the losing effort.
With the win, Endicott closes out the 2006-2007 regular season with a 14-10 overall record and 12-4 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The Gulls have earned the number two seed in the CCC-North, and all indications point to the Blue and Green hosting Nichols College on Tuesday night in the opening round of the CCC playoffs. Endicott defeated Nichols 101-72 on February 10th in Beverly, MA. The rematch will tip in the MacDonald Gymnasium at 8:00 PM on Tuesday.