Worcester, Mass. – Brian Vayda (Sturbridge, Mass.) scored 18 of his game-high 24 points in the second half and host Clark shook off a slow start to outlast visiting Endicott College 64-59 in non-conference men's basketball on Saturday afternoon.
The win for the Cougars evens their record at 4-4 and gives them back-to-back wins for the first time this season, while the Gulls slip to 3-3 and have now dropped three straight following a 3-0 start.
Neither team opened the game with any offensive flow as Endicott made only eight first half shots and the Cougars shot 25 percent from the field (6-for-24). The teams combined to go 0-for-11 from three-point land and commit 21 fouls in the opening stanza. Thanks to their free throw shooting (9-for-10), Clark was able to go into the half with a 21-19 lead.
Things changed in the final 20 minutes, as the Cougars opened the frame on a 12-3 run behind the interior combination of Mitch Renshaw (Rutland, Mass.) and Vayda, who combined to score eight of the 12 points during the run.
Vayda, specifically, was extremely effective in the second half after going 0-for-5 in the first 20 minutes. He missed his first shot of the second half and then proceeded to make his next six attempts as Clark took control of the game.
Endicott got as close as four on a few occasions and had the score at 51-46 following a Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) three-pointer with less than three minutes left but the Cougars, who made 18-of-21 second half free throws, connected on 15-of-18 in the final four minutes to seal the victory.
The Gulls shot 52 percent from the field in the second half and 49 percent for the game but struggled from the charity stripe, going just 10-for-17 and committed 19 turnovers.
Both teams entered the game as squads who use the three-pointer as a significant part of their offenses, combined to go just 6-for-29 from behind the arc with Clark going just 1-for-14.
Greene paced the Endicott offense with 17 points and four of the team's eight assists, while Chris Gailbraith (Lowell, Mass.) added ten points off the bench.
In addition to his game-high 24 points (6-for-12 field goals), Vayda added 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season. Renshaw added 12 points and four boards in 26 minutes, while Travis Curley (Trumbull, Conn.) added 13 – 11 of which came in the second half.
Clark will return to the hardwood on Thursday with a matchup against Becker College, while the Gulls will look to return to the win column on Monday with a home tilt against UMaine-Augusta.