Men’s Basketball Tops Western New England in OT Thriller, 87-85

BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team defeated Western New England (WNE), 87-85, in overtime on Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action at MacDonald Gymnasium.

Ty Vitko (Dover, N.H.) led the way off the bench with a season-high 21 points (6-10 FG, 5-8 3PT, 4-4 FT) and three steals.

Jalen Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) also added 18 points to go alongside four dimes, while Mark Barrett (Brookline, Mass.) collected his second double-double of the season via 10 points and a career-high 12 boards. 

Dillon Grant (Dennis, Mass.) rounded out the individual highlights with 10 points and five boards. 

In the opening stanza, the Gulls generated a 17-5 spurt to lead 39-31. The run was powered by Cam Homsey (Windham, N.H.) (6), Grant (5), Barrett (3), and Echevarria (3).

The Blue and Green led 39-36 at the break, but the Golden Bears countered with a 15-5 run midway through the second half to gain a 56-48 lead with 13:06 left in the contest.

Endicott responded with a 12-3 run of its own to snag the 65-61 advantage with 8:58 to play. A pair of three-pointers, a layup, and two free throws by Vitko and a Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.) short corner jumper paced the hosts.

In the final minute, Echevarria deadlocked the game at 75-75 courtesy of a layup eventually sending the game to overtime. 

In the extra session, WNE's Mike Resnick knocked down two threes to open overtime, but Jeff Hill (Lynn, Mass.) answered by banking in a three-ball of his own.

Hill and Vitko followed with momentum-shifting buckets to lead, 85-83 with 1:11 left. 

With 15 seconds remaining, Vitko nailed two clutch free throws to make it a two-possession game.

The Golden Bears scored a layup on the ensuing possession, however, Hill escaped a trap in the corner to give the Gulls the triumph. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott leads the all-time series, 18-11.
• The Gulls are 7-1 in CCC home games this season.
• Endicott's bench outscored Western New England's reserves, 32-7.
• The game saw five ties and five lead changes.
• The Blue and Green are 2-0 in overtime games this season.
• The Gulls forced 15 WNE turnovers, resulting in 20 points off those miscues.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (12-9, 8-6 CCC) stays in friendly confines on Saturday, February 11 as the Gulls host Curry at 3:00 PM. Saturday's contest will serve as Senior Day for the Gulls.

Western New England (16-4, 12-2 CCC) visits Pratt for a non-conference tilt this Thursday at 6:00 PM. 

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(Photo Credit - Leanna Puccio '24)