QUINCY, Mass. – Endicott men's basketball dropped a 76-74 game to Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponent Eastern Nazarene on Saturday afternoon as the Gulls wrapped up their regular season, two-game series with the Lions with a 1-1 split. Endicott ended their three-game win-streak and saw their 2013-14 record fall to 13-4 (7-3 CCC).
The Gulls held a four-point advantage with under three minutes to go in regulation, but a 10-4 run to end the game that included three-point makes by Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) and Justin Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) helped Eastern Nazarene deliver a home win. Endicott erased a small halftime deficit to maintain a single digit lead for much of the second half, but the Lions benefited from eight second half three-pointers to stay in the game.
After a three-pointer by Owens then a layup by Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.) put Eastern Nazarene ahead 71-70, Endicott guard Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia), who scored 18 points in each of his last two games, put in a go-ahead layup with 2:21 remaining. After Wagner's three-ball, Magee once again come up big with a pair of free throw makes to tie the game at 74-74 with just 1:33 left on the clock.
Both teams failed to convert on their next possessions. Gulls freshman guard Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) blocked a layup attempt by Owens and a missed three-pointer down the other end gave the ball back to the Lions with 1:01 remaining. Owens connected on a jumper with 35 ticks left to make it a two-point lead for Eastern Nazarene.
Endicott got the ball back with eight seconds left, but the Gulls saw their last second attempt to tie the game get blocked by Lions junior Alex Jarman (Portsmouth, R.I.) as Eastern Nazarene won 76-74.
Owens led all scorers with 26 points with Magee pacing the Endicott offense with 23 points on 7-of-8 shooting, 1-of-2 from three, and 8-of-10 at the charity stripe. Gulls freshman guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) stepped into the starting lineup and scored 16 points with five boards and two assists.
Gulls freshman guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) came off the bench to score eight points in just 11 minutes played. Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) and Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) added eight and six points, respectively, in starting roles.
Gomes netted 16 points with seven caroms and two assists off the bench for Eastern Nazarene. Wagner was the only other player in double figures for the Lions with all 13 of his points coming in the second half.
Endicott returns to MacDonald Gymnasium on Wednesday, January 29th for a home game against CCC rival Gordon. The Gulls lost to Gordon back on December by a score of 68-66.