Gulls Advance to Tip-Off Tournament Final with Big Victory over Maine-Augusta

Box Score

BEVERLY, Mass. – Five Gulls scored in double figures Friday night as the Endicott men's basketball team picked up their first win of the season, defeating the Moose of the University of Maine-Augusta 102-53 in the opening round of the North Shore Collegiate Tip-Off Tournament, presented by Comfort Inn.

Endicott, who shot over 58 percent from the floor, was led by junior guard Lance Green (Dorchester, Mass.). Green scored 19 points including a 7-10 night from the floor and also had six steals, three assists and three rebounds.  

Sophomore Lachlan Magee (Melbourne Australia) contributed 15 points of his own and pulled down seven boards, while Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) was Endicott's leading rebounder. Makris pulled down eleven assists while pouring in 12 points of his own and was a big part of helping Endicott outrebound the Moose 53-32. Eric Gagne (Hallowell, Maine) led the visitors with eight rebounds off the bench.

Endicott shot over 68 percent from the free-throw line, with Green making five of his six attempts from the charity stripe. Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) was two for three from three-point land as the Gulls made five three-pointers on the evening.

The tournament hosts jumped out to a 15-0 lead in the opening four and a half minutes of play. Markis scored the first four points before Knowlton hit a three-pointer, and Endicott never trailed from the opening tip.

The Moose went on a 16-6 run of their own to pull within five points with eight minutes left in the first half. The spurt included seven points from freshman forward Leonel Familia (Brooklyn, N.Y.), who topped the score-sheet for UMA with 16 points. That was as close as Maine would get to catching the Gulls, however. The visitors would score just six more points in the half while Endicott erupted for 23 points in a run that included offensive contributions from the likes of Magee, Knowlton, and freshman John Henault (Lunenberg, Mass.). The rookie guard scored sixteen points and was the only Endicott bench player in double digits.

The second half saw Endicott continue to widen the gap. The Gulls shot 62.5% in the second half and made four three pointers. Endicott started the second half on a 24-8 run, building their lead to 38 points. It would eventually balloon to 49 several times while a three-pointer by Zach Markowitz (West Hartford, Conn.) and a layup by Henault helped the Gulls eclipse the 100-point plateau.

The Moose had three players in double-figures in the scorebook. Joining Familia were Gagne, who scored thirteen points and Darius Vanegas (Orlando, Fla.), who dropped eleven points and pulled down five rebounds. Guard AJ Coleman (Orono, Maine) had six assists and two steals to pace UMA.

Endicott improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Moose fall to 1-8. The Gulls will face Mass. College of Liberal Arts in Saturday afternoon's 2:00 pm championship match. The Trailblazers defeated Suffolk in overtime of the other first round matchup in the two-day tournament.

The Rams of Suffolk and U. Maine-Augusta will play in the consolation game at 12:00 pm at MacDonald Gymnasium.