BRISTOL, R.I. – The Endicott men's basketball team ended a seven-game losing streak on Saturday afternoon after defeating CCC opponent Roger Williams 77-74 for the second team this season. The Gulls trailed by one with 45 seconds left in the game, but junior captain Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) made two clutch free throws and finished an Endicott fast-break with a layup to help the Blue and Green to their first win since January 5th.
Endicott improved to 8-10 (3-8 CCC) on the season while the Hawks dropped to 6-12 (3-8 CCC). The Gulls play host to conference rival Wentworth on Tuesday, January 29th at 7:30 pm in MacDonald Gymnasium.
Four of Knowlton's eight total points off the bench came in the final minute of the game as the guard finished 3-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-2 at the free throw line with two rebounds.
Four of Endicott's five starters reached double figures, led by sophomore guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) with 16 points and four assists. Senior captain Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) added 15 points, five assists, and four boards, while both junior captain Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) and sophomore Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) contributed with 13 points each.
White completed his first double-double of the season with 12 rebounds, his second game this season with double-digit boards.
Roger Williams was led by 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc by senior James LeCardi (Fair Haven, N.J.). LeCardi also added two rebounds and two assists for the home team.
With the game tied 69-69 with 3:41 remaining, the Hawks appeared poised to defend their home court after a layup by Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.) and a three-point make by LeCardi put the Gulls in a five-point hole with 2:08 on the clock. After a Roger Williams timeout, Magee scored on a layup and the Gulls forced a turnover to get the ball back down by three at 74-71. The Hawks fouled White who drained his free throw attempts to make it a one-point game, setting up Knowlton's late-game heroics.
Endicott scored the final eight points of the game over a span of 2:08.
The Gulls outrebounded Roger Williams 40-28. Endicott shot 45.0% from the field as a team and a stunning 87.5% (21-24) at the free throw line.