Endicott 82, Nichols 78 (OT)
Dudley, Mass. – Nichols Athletic Center
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
All-Time Series & Streaks
The Gulls extend their all-time series lead to 15-8. They have now won two-straight after dropping five in a row to the Bison.
Three Stars of the Game
1 – Endicott junior Daquan Sampson (Jacksonville, N.C.) – recorded a double-double with 23 points (10-of-16 FG) and 19 rebounds in 37 minutes
2 – Nichols junior Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) – notched a double-double with 11 points and a team-high 15 rebounds
3 – Endicott junior Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) – scored 16 points and grabbed nine rebounds in 42 minutes; also tallied two assists and two steals
Sampson scored a game-high 23 points and also pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds as the Gulls clipped the Bison in overtime, 82-78. Senior captain Irving Eggleston (East Lyme, Conn.) led the Bison with 21 points but shot just 6-of-22 from the field.
Key Stat of the Game
The game was tied 17 times and featured 23 lead changes.
Turning Point
Senior Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) and freshman Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) both made baskets early in the overtime session to give the Bison the lead, but first Walker and then Sampson responded with baskets to tie the game each time. Walker – who shared Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) Player of the Year honors with Eggleston last year – then put the Gulls ahead for good with a jumper at 2:34 of overtime.
Quick Hits
-Echevarria – who was named CCC Rookie of the Week for the third time this season on Monday – finished with 13 points on 4-of-16 shooting (3-of-10 3-pointers).
-Nichols held a slim 54-52 edge on the glass, led by Stallings with 15 and Eggleston with 12.
-Junior Nate Tardy (Moodus, Conn.) made a game-tying three for the Bison with 22 seconds to go in regulation. Endicott then had a chance to win the game, but Walker's shot from the corner was off-target.
-Both team shot below 40 percent as the Bison finished at 35 percent (29-of-84) while the Gulls closed the evening at 37 percent (26-of-70).
-Tonight's overtime game was the first for the Bison since an OT win against Salve Regina in the CCC Semifinals back on February 27, 2014.
-Koumare registered 15 points and three assists. Walker dished out a game-high five dimes for Endicott.
"I thought our kids competed really hard. Hats off to Endicott. They're a very good team. They were picked to win our league and we saw why tonight. It's very tough to win a conference game on the road, but they're very good and talented. We hung with a really good team tonight, so there are a lot of positives. We're headed in the right direction." –Nichols head coach Tom Glynn
Next up
Nichols (4-2, 0-1 CCC) – Saturday, December 5 @ Wentworth, 3:00 p.m.
Endicott (3-2, 1-0 CCC) – Saturday, December 5 vs Eastern Nazarene, 3:00 p.m.