Men's Basketball Drops Road Contest At Tufts, 81-69

MEDFORD, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team stayed within reach but eventually fell short, 81-69, against No. 13 nationally ranked Tufts on Saturday afternoon at Cousens Gymnasium.

Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) posted his first double-double of the season, scoring a game-high 25 points (11-20 FG, 3-7 3PT) along with 11 rebounds. The sophomore forward also accounted for three assists, two takeaways, and a block in 33 minutes. 

Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) tacked on 15 points (5-12 FG, 1-2 3PT, 4-4 FT) and hauled in three rebounds during his 33 minutes on the floor.

Kinney opened the game by netting nine of the first eleven points for the Gulls to keep them within four (15-11) in the first five minutes of play.

The two teams traded buckets, but the hosts kept control of the lead. Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.) drained a triple with four minutes remaining in the half to cut the deficit to five (33-28). Tufts swished a three-pointer of their own on the final possession of the half to give themselves a 43-35 advantage as the halftime buzzer sounded.

However, Endicott did not go away quietly. Montagnino led the charge out of the halftime break, scoring nine consecutive points for the Blue and Green. The graduate transfer nailed a three-pointer to finish off his individual run and give the Gulls a 44-43 lead.

Tufts responded with its own 12-2 in the following three minutes to retake the lead.

An AJ Forte (Peabody, Mass.) three-pointer cut the deficit to four points (64-61) with just under ten minutes remaining in the game.

Unfortunately for the Gulls, the Jumbos pulled away late, outscoring the visitors 17-8 in the final nine minutes of play to take the contest by an 81-69 score.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The Gulls defense held the Jumbos to a season-low from the field (42.5%).
• The contest saw 12 lead changes between the two teams.
• 10th career double-double for Kinney.
• Fourth career 25+ scoring output from Kinney (third this season).
• 10 bench points are also a season-low for the Jumbos.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (2-2) welcomes Middlebury to the Nest next Sunday, 12/1, for a 2 PM contest. Tufts (4-0) hosts MIT on Tuesday in a 7 PM tipoff. 

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(Photo Credit - Mazzie Hinsdale '26)