Gulls stun West Conn. with tournament-winning buzzer beater
Nov. 30, 2008
DANBURY, Conn. - Endicott College junior guard Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) hit an off-balance jumper with two-tenths of a second remaining in regulation as the Gulls stunned host Western Connecticut State University, 60-58, to capture the 2008 WCSU Holiday Tournament Championship in Danbury, Conn. on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Endicott improves to 4-2 overall while the Colonials slip to 3-2.
Endicott opened the game with an impressive 22-8 run that included eight points from junior Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine). The lead proved to be valuable as the Colonials' defense held Endicott without a field goal for the final 3:35 of the first frame; however the Gulls still carried a 35-24 advantage into the intermission.
After a pair of Ross Stewart (Palm Harbor, Fla.) free-throws at the 18:46 mark of the second half, Western Connecticut scored the next seven points to make it a five point game. Moments later, freshman guard Daquon Brooks (Bristol, Conn.) knocked-down a three-ball and senior guard Dashon Jennings (Bridgeport, Conn.) connected on two successful free-throws and a good jumper to tie the game at 42-all midway through the second period.
Endicott would re-stretch its lead to seven as Whitelaw took a pass from Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) and buried a jump shot to give EC a 54-47 lead with 3:11 left to play.
Once again, the Colonials were able to score the next five points to cut the advantage back down to two. Freshman forward Gary Robinson (Torrington, Conn.) drove the lane for an uncontested lay-up with 30 seconds remaining to tie the game at 58-58.
With the shot clock turned off, Endicott held possession for regulation's final shot. Working to get the ball into the hands of its leading scorer, Graham Whitelaw, the Gulls found Bobby Montrond on the left side, just inside the three-point line. The junior guard was sealed by two West Conn. defenders but was able to hoist up, from his hip, the winner while falling to the floor, giving Endicott a 60-58 win and the WCSU Holiday Tournament Championship.
Montrond scored 14 points, grabbed nine rebounds and swiped five steals in the win. Whitelaw led all scorers with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting. Chris Galbraith (Lowell, Mass.) had nine points and nine boards, coming just one shy of a double-double in each category. Sophomore Justin Martin (Cromwell, Conn.) continued his stellar effort on the defensive end of the court, swatting three blocks in the win.
Western Connecticut was led by Dashon Jennings' 16 points and six boards. Daquon Brooks also had 16 points in the setback. Tyshawn Gillespie (Hartford, Conn.) reached double figures as he scored 11 points and had two steals on Sunday.
Endicott will return home on Thursday evening as the Gulls host cross-town rival Gordon College in their annual non-conference meeting. Game time is slated for 7:00 p.m. in Beverly, Mass.