NCAA TOURNAMENT: Endicott's Historic Run Ends In Sweet 16 At No. 6 Middlebury, 89-60

NCAA DIVISION III MEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT INTERACTIVE BRACKET

MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The Endicott men's basketball team saw its NCAA DIII Tournament run come to an end in the Sweet 16 Friday night against host No. 6 Middlebury College, 89-60, inside a sold-out Pepin Gymnasium.

NCAA TOURNAMENT SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL: ENDICOTT (24-7) VS. NO. 6 MIDDLEBURY (27-3)

FRIDAY, MARCH 10, 7:30 PM | PEPIN GYMNASIUM @ MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE| MIDDLEBURY, VT.

In their second meeting of the season, it was a different result this time around with high stakes on the home court where the Panthers are 25-1 over the past two seasons, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Endicott earlier this year.

A slow start for both teams gave way to a 9-2 run for Middlebury with 11:57 to play in the opening stanza and extended that advantage to a 21-8 margin with 9:37 to go in front of a rambunctious crowd feeding off the Panthers' energy to set the tone the rest of the way.

The Gulls struggled to get shots to fall, as Endicott connected on just 10 of 38 attempts (4-of-23 from three-point land) in the first half. Meanwhile, the Panthers doubled up on Endicott and took a 48-24 lead into the locker room at the break.

A 22-5 run for the Panthers to begin the second stanza made it a 70-29 game with 11:53 remaining in regulation and they led by as much 42 with 11:42 left to go on win their 14th straight game and advance to the Elite Eight.

Just as they have all season and throughout their four years wearing the Blue & Green, seniors Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.), Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.), Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.), Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.), Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.), and Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) fought hard to the end to cement their legacy going down in program history as the team to make the deepest run thus far.

Before exiting the court for the last time in their respective careers to a standing ovation from Gull Nation with just under two minutes remaining, Endicott rallied to make it a respectable five-point deficit in scoring totals in the second half (41-36).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott and Middlebury met for the second time this season, as the Gulls earned a 93-89 road victory at Middlebury on Nov. 27, 2016.
• Endicott is 2-3 against Middlebury in the all-time series, despite winning the two most recent meetings before tonight.
• The Gulls and Panthers were of six New England region teams to advance to the Sweet 16 alongside Williams, Keene St., Tufts, and Babson.
• Tonight's matchup featured a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) member in the Sweet 16 for the first time in 21 years, since the 1995-96 season sent Anna Maria.
• Endicott, an at-large, bid, made the program's first-ever Sweet 16 appearance.
• Endicott is now 3-3 in the NCAA Tournament under the direction of head coach Kevin Bettencourt in his third year with the program.
• The Gulls scored just 24 points in the first half for the third time this season (at Babson, at Wentworth, at Middlebury.)
• Endicott shot a season-low 22 percent from beyond the arc (9-of-41) and attempted just two free throws (1-of-2) on the night.
• Freshman guard Keith Brown (Pelham, Mass.) led the Gulls with 12 points off the bench, while Sampson chipped in 11.
• Sophomore forward Nick Thibeault (Gorham, Maine) grabbed a team-high/career-high eight rebounds.

FOR THE FOES

• Middlebury is ranked No. 6 in the country according to the latest D3hoops.com February 26 poll.
• The sixth-ranked Panthers made an appearance in the Sweet 16 for the first time in four years. 
• Middlebury is now 13-7 in NCAA tournament action in program history.
• The Panthers are 16-1 at home this year.
• Middlebury grabbed 35 rebounds to Endicott's 16 in the first half, (56-39 overall) and had 22 second chance points to the Gulls' eight in the game.
• Senior guard Jake Brown (Hawley, Pa.) led the floor with 15 points in the first half as he finished with 19 points and a game-high eight assists.
• Junior forward Nick Tarantino (Dedham, Mass.) registered a double-double with 11 points and a game-best 11 rebounds.
• Senior guard Matt St. Amour (Swanton, Vt.) scored a game-high 21 points.
• Sophomore forward Eric McCord (Westford, Mass.) recorded the first basket of the game and finished with six points and 10 boards.
• Junior guard Jack Daly (Eastchester, N.Y.) rounded out the Panthers in double figures with 11 points and nine rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (24-7) sees its historic season come to an end, while No. 6 Middlebury (27-3) will battle fellow NESCAC rival, Williams, in the NCAA's Elite Eight on Saturday, March 11 at 7:00 p.m. with a trip to the Final Four on the line.

For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

NCAA DIII MEN'S BASKETBALL SECTIONAL SEMIFINAL SCHEDULE

Friday, March 10, 2017

Sweet 16

All games hosted by Middlebury College (Middlebury, Vt.)

Game 1:  Williams 78, Susquehanna 61

Game 2: No. 6 Middlebury 89, Endicott 60

Saturday, March 11, 2017

Elite Eight

Williams vs. No. 6 Middlebury  - 7:00 PM