NASHUA, N.H. – For the first time in program history, the Endicott men's basketball team is off to a 4-0 start after the Gulls handed Wheelock an 87-73 defeat on day one of Rivier's Live Free or Die Invitational. Endicott moves on to face the host Raiders in the tournament championship, who earlier in the evening earned their first victory of the season by beating St. Joseph's (L.I.). Tip-off is at 2:00 pm on Saturday, November 23rd in Rivier's Muldoon Gymnasium.
Gulls freshman guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) scored a team-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field and 5-of-5 at the free throw line while adding five rebounds, three assists, and two steals in Endicott's win. Basden was complemented by some accurate shooting from junior guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) who finished the game 7-of-9 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from three-point range. Henaulted added a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe for 21 points.
Endicott shot 64% from the floor overall and 67% beyond the arc as a team against the Wildcats as several players shot well in this game. Freshman guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) was a perfect 4-for-4 on the field goal attempts, two of which were three pointers, for 11 points off the bench.
Senior guard Greg Jacques (Brockton, Mass.), who added nine points of his own, distributed seven assists but did commit six turnovers in the win. Junior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, four assists, four points, a block, and a steal in 23 minutes in relief.
For Wheelock, freshman forward Anthony Williams (White Plains, N.Y.) netted a game-high 25 points on 11-of-16 from the floor while adding four rebounds, an assist, and a block. Senior guard Paul Coucci (Dartmouth, Mass.) and freshman guard Derek Fournier (Johnston, R.I.) added 18 and 11 points, respectively, in the loss.
Endicott outrebounded Wheelock 42-to-20 in the game. Thirteen of Endicott's rebounds were on the offensive glass which led to 20 second chance points. The Gulls held a 48-to-34 advantage in points in the paint and a 23-to-14 lead in bench points. Wheelock took advantage of 21 Endicott turnovers as they turned those miscues into 26 points.
Endicott led by just two points with 4:55 remaining in the second half but used a 15-3 run to end the game. The Gulls improved to 4-2 all-time versus Wheelock including their second straight win after last season's 74-50 victory at home back on December 6th, 2012.