BOSTON, Mass. – With the game on the line, Endicott freshman guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with three seconds left in overtime to push the Gulls ahead of Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) rival Wentworth 78-77 and after a last second bid for the win fell short by the Leopards, Endicott held on for their ninth win in their last 10 games.
Endicott (13-3, 7-2 CCC) trailed 73-67 with a 1:32 remaining in overtime after a 6-0 run by Wentworth (8-8, 5-4 CCC), but quick layup by Walker started an 11-4 streak to end the game. Wentworth hit a pair of free throws to make the score 75-69 after Walker's layup and on Endicott's next possession, sophomore guard Chris Light (Derry, N.H.) hit a three-pointer to pull three. Walker forced a Wentworth turnover and on the fast-break layup, Light finished the with a tip-in basket to make it 75-74 Leopards.
With 28 seconds left, the Leopards went to the free throw line and missed both attempts. On the other end, Walker hit both of his attempts following a foul to put the Blue and Green ahead 76-75. Wentworth's Ronnie Turner (Lewiston, Maine) connected on his two free throws after drawing a foul going to the basket but with three ticks remaining, Walker delivered one more time with his fifth and sixth points of the overtime period to get the Gulls a 78-77 victory.
Walker finished with 17 points in the game with three rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Light came off the bench to score six points with two boards and an assist in just 13 game minutes.
Endicott's leading scorer in this game was graduate student guard Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) who was integral in the team's second half efforts to force overtime. Magee scored a team-high 18 points with 10 of those coming in the second half. Leopards freshman guard Jherson Colon (Boston, Mass.) netted a game-high 19 points off the bench with four assists and three boards.
The Gulls also got a big-game effort from freshman forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) who recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 caroms, including five offensive rebounds. Sampson was strong in the final minutes of regulation with a go-ahead jumper to make it 61-60 with 1:52 to go.
Endicott held a slim 46-43 rebounding advantage but were outscored 36-32 in the paint, 16-10 on points off turnovers, and 8-2 on fast-break opportunities. The Gulls shot 39.3% from the field, 40.0% from three-point range, 70.3% at the free throw line, and put up 78 points on a Wentworth squad that is the best defensively in the league.
Wentworth, along with Colon's big game, got 17 points from senior guard Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) and another 13 from junior guard Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) in starting roles.
Endicott improved to 18-8 all-time versus Wentworth and ended a two-game skid against the Leopards. The Gulls will be on the road Saturday, January 25th at Eastern Nazarene for a 3:00 pm tip-off. Endicott is 15-7 against the Lions dating back to the 1994-95 season including a 78-77 win back on December 7th of this season.