Endicott races to 78-58 victory over Western New England

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Sophomore guard Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) came off the bench to score 18 points as the Endicott men's basketball team posted a 78-58 victory over Western New England in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon at the Alumni Healthful Living Center.
 
The Gulls improved their record to 6-3 overall and 2-1 in the conference while the Golden Bears slip under the .500 mark at 4-5 and 1-2 in the CCC.
 
Knowlton had a strong performance, making 8-of-12 field-goal attempts (including a pair of three-pointers) along with compiling three assists, three rebounds, and a steal in 25 minutes.
 
Freshman guards Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) and John Henault (Lunenberg, Mass.) each contributed 12 points as the Gulls shot 49.2% from the field. Makris also had six rebounds and three assists.
 
Sophomore guard Lachlan Magree (Melbourne, Australia) chipped in with nine points while senior forward Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) had eight points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
 
Western New England took an early 10-2 lead in the opening six minutes before EC came back for a 40-30 advantage at the break.
 
Senior guard Andre Shaw (New York, N.Y.) scored all of his 18 points in the second half for the Golden Bears.
 
Freshman forward Musa Elsir (West Springfield, Mass.) made an impressive collegiate debut scoring 13 points and collecting a pair of rebounds and steals. He sank 5-of-7 shots from the floor and made 2-of-3 three-pointers.
 
Sophomore forwards Dennis Rinaldi (Harrison, N.Y.) and Daniel Minto (West Hempstead, N.Y.) each scored seven points. Sophomore guard Ryan Mickiewicz (East Longmeadow, Mass.) had only six points, but pulled down a team best eight rebounds and dished out four assists.
 
Western New England made only 36.8% of its field-goal attempts.

The Gulls will hit the court again next tuesday when they travel to Dudley, Mass. to play Nichols College at 7:30 pm. The Golden Bears will travel to Wentworth at the same time, as each team continues their CCC schedule.