BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The Endicott College Gulls built a 46-25 halftime advantage on their way to a 86-73 Commonwealth Coast Conference men's basketball win over University of New England on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 1) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

Junior guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) led the Gulls' balanced offense with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. First-year guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and finish with 11 points, and senior guard Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) added 10 for the Gulls (14-5, 8-4 CCC).

First-year forward Brayden Morse (Long Beach, Calif.) led all players with 18 points for UNE (1-18, 1-11). Rookie guard Justin Pollard (Cape Neddick, Maine) chipped in 15 points, while senior forward Kurt Steiner (Rutland, Mass.) and first-year center Tom Nason (Milton, N.H.) added 10 apiece. Nason's point total established a career-best for the 6'10" rookie.

Trailing 11-7 just five minutes into the game, the Gulls reeled off 15 unanswered points over the next five minutes to double up (22-11) UNE midway through the frame. Endicott would go on to lead 46-25 at intermission, thanks in part to 6-for-11 shooting from beyond the arc.

The Gulls continued to pour it on in the early stages of the second, establishing a 27-point cushion (67-40) with 13:49 left.

Big Blue would chip away and got as close as 14 (72-58) at the 8:22 mark, but Sawyer and sophomore forward Taylor Rioux (Ivoryton, Conn.) accounted for five consecutive points to help Endicott stave off UNE's momentum.

Endicott were strong inside, taking a 50-34 rebounding edge, including a game-best 10 boards from first-year forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) and nine by junior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.). The Gulls also got 50 points from their reserves.

Endicott will head to Newport, R.I. on Tuesday (Feb. 4) to face Salve Regina University, while the Nor'easters travel to Boston to tackle Wentworth Institute of Technology. Each game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m.