Beverly, Mass. – Facing an 11-point halftime deficit, the Endicott men's basketball had to come from behind to earn their second consecutive TCCC victory by beating Western New England College 71-67 on Saturday afternoon.
Junior Erik Callo's (Southington, Conn.) 10 point, five rebound, and four block effort in the second half was a major catalyst to the Endicott (10-5, 2-1 TCCC) win over the Golden Bears (0-13, 0-3 TCCC). Midway through the second half with the Gulls down by 12, Callo and his teammates went on a crucial 22-8 run that gave Endicott the lead at 55-53 with 6:02 remaining. That run was capped off by a blocked shot by Callo converted into a fast-break layup for freshman Jordan Lewis (Windsor, Conn.).
WNEC came back down the court on the next possession to tie the game at 55-55 after a Kyle Bean (Westhampton, Mass.), but Endicott ran off another impressive run by scoring 11 of the next 12 points to attain their highest lead of the game at nine points. Some final minute defensive pressure and clutch shooting by the Golden Bears trimmed the Gulls lead down to two, but Endicott would hold on for the four-point victory.
In the first half, WNEC's junior guard Andre Shaw (New York, N.Y.) was electric from long range, hitting 4-of-5 attempts from beyond the arc and finishing the opening half with 14 points. Teammate Conor Lamas (Wilbraham, Mass.) grabbed nine rebounds, put up six points and was a factor defensively with two blocks and a steal for the Golden Bears. Shaw, Lamas, and Brad Thomka (Springfield, Mass.), who scored eight points in the first half, were essential in the final minutes of the first half that saw WNEC stretch their lead from two points to 11 points by halftime.
For the Gulls, Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) and Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) scored six points apiece to the lead the offense. Karkow added five rebounds while Knowlton dished out two assists and blocked a shot.
In the second half, the play of Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) and Jordan Lewis helped the Gulls maintain their lead towards the end of regulation. Magee scored 12 of his team-high 16 points in the second half on 3-of-6 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free throw line. Lewis scored 10 of his 12 points on 2-of-3 and a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe, including two clutch free throws with six seconds remaining.
WNEC's leading scorer, Andre Shaw, had a game-high 22 points on 8-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-9 from long range. Brad Thomka was second on the team with 15 points. Freshman guard Ryan Mickiewicz (East Longmeadow, Mass.) recorded a game-high seven dimes to go with his nine points.
Endicott also got solid contribution off the bench from freshman Tyler Burkhart (Cromwell, Mass.) who netted 11 points in 17 minutes by hitting two three-pointers and 5-of-6 free throw shots.
The Gulls continue their TCCC schedule on Wednesday, January 19th with a 6:00 pm road game against Anna Maria College. WNEC hosts TCCC foe Wentworth Institute on the same night at 7:30 pm.