Endicotts Senior Day win over UNE sets up Gulls for regular season finale

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BEVERLY, Mass. – Behind a 17-point, 12-rebound, four-block performance by senior forward Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) on Senior Day, the Endicott men's basketball team claimed a 68-57 victory over the University of New England heading into the final game of the regular season.
 
Endicott (16-8, 11-6 CCC) honored Callo and fellow senior forwards Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) and Tanner McEntee (Del Mar, Calif.) with a pregame ceremony.  The win evened Endicott's conference record with Wentworth, with whom they split their two meetings earlier in the season.   Wentworth, however, holds the tiebreaker over the Gulls for having beaten top-seeded Salve Regina, a team Endicott lost twice to. 
 
The Blue and Green bring their four-game winning streak into their final regular season game before entering the CCC Tournament on Saturday, February 18^th at 3:00 pm in Quincy, Massachusetts against Eastern Nazarene.  Endicott beat Eastern Nazarene 89-83 last Monday night at home, the start of the team's current win streak.  UNE hosts Western New England on Saturday looking to sneak into the playoffs.
 
UNE (6-18, 6-11 CCC) dropped back-to-back games after winning two straight, despite a game-high 21 points from junior guard Charles Fenner III (Bronx, N.Y.).  Fenner scored 14 of his 21 points in the second half as the Nor'easters trimmed a 21-point second half Endicott lead down to 10 points with just over four minutes remaining. 
 
Strong play down the stretch by Gulls junior guard Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.), however, thwarted UNE's bid for a comeback.  Greene totaled seven points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals in the second half to help seal the Gulls win. 
 
Freshman guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) paced the Gulls with 10 points in the first half on 4-of-6 from the floor including two three-pointers to garner a 35-21 halftime advantage.  Tyler Burkhart's (Cromwell, Conn.) lay-in, with an assist to Henault, as time expired capped off the scoring in the first half. 
 
The Gulls had trailed at the start of the game, but a 17-2 run shifted momentum towards the Endicott bench for good.  Endicott was also able to take advantage of 22.6% shooting from the field including 4-of-18 from beyond the arc by UNE. 
 
As they did in the first half, the Nor'easters looked to gain ground in the second with long range shooting but struggled by making just 5-of-20 attempts.  UNE finished the game 9-of-38 (23.7%) from three-point land.   UNE senior Ryan Knotek (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) had a solid night the three going 3-of-9 and tallying 13 points and six rebounds, four of which were offensive, for the game. 
 
The Endicott defensive effort stepped up in the second half as Callo blocked four shots and the team had five steals, including two by Greene.  Thanks in part to a three-point make by Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) with just under two minutes to go, Endicott was able to hold off UNE for the 68-57 victory.
 
Endicott's Burkhart and UNE's senior guard Brian Jones (Austin, Texas) tied for a game-high five assists.  The Gulls outrebounded the Nor'easters 50-39, including 18 offensive boards.  Endicott also dominated points in the paint, 38-20.