Beverly, Mass. – Playing in their first game in 12 days, the Endicott men's basketball suffered a tough home loss to Wheelock College 73-68 in a fast-paced game that featured school records and career highs for several players.
With the loss, Endicott falls to 3-2 on the young season while Wheelock snapped a three-game losing skid, improving to 2-3.
In the first four minutes of the opening half, the visitors jumped out to an early seven point advantage at 13-7 thanks to eight points from junior center Eric Rice (Woburn, Mass.) and three assists from junior guard Kyle Pierce (Burlington, Mass.). Rice went on to score a game-high 22 points, one point shy of his career best. Pierce, however, finished with 12 assists which shattered the Wheelock men's basketball record for assists in a single game.
The Blue and Green fought their way back into the game in the first half as freshman Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) scored 14 of his team-high 21 points in the opening stanza. Magee finished the game 8-of-22, including three makes from beyond the arc, to go along with seven rebounds and a steal.
Endicott's biggest difference-maker in the first half was junior center Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) who made his first appearance of the season. Callo provided an offensive spark off the bench with nine points, but defensively shutdown Wheelock's attacks in the lane with four blocks in the first half alone. Callo would end the contest with a career-high eight blocks. The junior also showed his presence on the boards with six offensive rebounds and three defensive rebounds in 13 first half minutes. Callo finished with 13 points, 15 rebounds, eight blocks, and two assists.
A Magee three-pointer gave Endicott a 41-38 lead at halftime, but in the second half the two teams would exchange the lead five times until the final minutes of the game.
With 2:16 remaining and the game tied at 66-66, a Rice jumper put Wheelock ahead for good as Endicott would not be able to overtake the lead. The Wildcats his five out of six free throws down the stretch and forced a costly Endicott turnover en route to victory.
Wheelock's Daniel Main (Hopedale, Mass.) had 14 points, nine rebounds, three assists, and a steal in 33 minutes on the court. Sophomore Bashir Hudson (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) grabbed double-digit rebounds with 11 despite Endicott's significant advantage in that category at 59-40.
Endicott sophomore guard Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) tied Callo for second-best on the team with 13 points, but dished out five assists and recorded a steal. Jordan Lewis (Windsor, Conn.) came off the bench to score six points and force three turnovers.
The Gulls return to the hard court on Saturday, December 4 for a 1:00 pm road game against Clark University. Wheelock looks to win back-to-back games for the first time this season as they host conference rival Southern Vermont College on Tuesday, December 7 at 7:15 pm.