Endicott Drops Opener to Rhode Island College
Nov. 17, 2006
MEDFORD, MA - Rhode Island College pulled away from Endicott College in the second half for a 73-59 victory in the first round of the Tufts University Tip-Off Tournament (T3) on Friday night at Cousens Gym. Sophomore guard Tirrell Hill (Bronx, NY) led the Anchormen with 19 points.
Endicott would gain its only lead of the game with the opening basket by senior co-captain Mike Sullivan (Marshfield, MA/Marshfield). A three-pointer by Hill on RIC's next trip down the court gave them the lead for good, but it was a close contest into the second half.
Rhode Island College led 33-29 at the break, with Hill's 10 points leading the way. Eighteen turnovers by Endicott helped the Anchormen, who shot just 33.3 percent (12/36) in the first 20 minutes. Junior Todd Burton (Lynn, MA/Canterbury School) led the Gulls with 10 points at the break.
Into the second half, Endicott was within two points at 40-38 when Sullivan hit a jumper at 16:34. However, the Anchormen scored 10 of the next 12 points to lead 50-40 on a lay-up by senior tri-captain Brian Stanko (Swansea, MA) at 12:23. He also had a three-pointer during the spurt.
The Gulls were able to chip the lead back to single-digits twice within next minute, but an 8-0 run by RIC gave the Anchormen a comfortable 16-point margin at 60-44 following two Stanko free throws at 9:43. Their lead would grow to 17 points three times as they cruised down the stretch for a season-opening victory.
The first game of the Tufts Tournament promised to be a good one, matching Little East pre-season favorites Rhode Island College against defending Commonwealth Coast Conference champion Endicott College. In the end, the Anchormen won despite shooting just 34.7 percent (25/62). Thirty Endicott turnovers was the biggest difference-maker. It allowed RIC to take 72 shots compared to 47 for the Gulls.
Senior tri-captain Kinsey Durgin (Greenwood, ME) added 13 points and three assists to the Rhode Island attack. Sophomore Cameron Stewart (Newport, RI) finished with eight points, six rebounds and three steals. Burton and sophomore Joey Burgos (Lawrence, MA/Lawrence) led Endicott with 14 points each. They were also two of the four Gulls who ended the game with seven rebounds. Senior co-captain Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia/Second Babtist, Houston) added 10 points, including an 8 for 8 effort from the line.
Rhode Island College will play square off with Tufts, who beat Lasell 85-80, in the T3 Championship Game on Saturday at 4:00. Endicott will match up with Lasell in the consolation game at 2:00.
-Courtesy of Tufts Sports Information-