Endicott holds off Eastern Nazarene to win 89-83 at home

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BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott men's basketball team saw their 20-point halftime lead over Eastern Nazarene dwindle down to just three points with 6:07 remaining in the second half, but the Gulls rallied behind 21 points from Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) and a double-double by Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) to win 89-83. 
 
Endicott improved to 13-8 (8-6 CCC) while Eastern Nazarene continued their recent losing skid and currently stand at 3-18 (2-12 CCC). 
 
Magee's 21 points came on 6-of-11 shooting and 8-of-12 from the free throw line.  The sophomore guard added eight boards, four of which came on the offensive glass, in 30 minutes on the court.  Makris filled the stat sheet with 18 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks, two assists and a steal as he recorded back-to-back double-doubles for the first time this season.
 
Gulls sophomore Tyler Burkhart (Cromwell, Conn.) once again provided a spark off the bench with 14 points, six rebounds and five assists.  Burkhart reached double figures for the third time in the past five games.  Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, but his game-high seven assists helped spread around Endicott's offensive attack.  Also in a reserve role, sophomore guard Nick Maglio (Barrington, R.I.) provided some defense in the backcourt with three steals. 
 
Eastern Nazarene's comeback attempt was led by junior big man Chimay Ezeigbo (Roanoke, Va.) who scored 17 of his game-high 29 points in the second half.  Ezeigbo, the Lion's leading scorer at 15.9 points per game, was 13-of-23 from the floor with 11 defensive rebounds for his 11^th double-double this year.  Lions guard Max Barbosa (Dorchester, Mass.) found Ezeigbo often for six assists while adding 16 points of his own. 
 
Eastern Nazarene also got an efficient effort from junior swing man Mike McCoy (Altamonte Springs, Fla.) who connected on 4-of-6 three-point attempts.  McCoy finished with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting with eight caroms, three assists and three steals.
 
In the first half, the Gulls showcased a balanced offense with eight different players scoring points and Endicott shooting 48.8% from the floor as a team.  Six Endicott players connected on three-point attempts as the Gulls shot 53.8% (7-of-13) from beyond the arc.  Six of Greene's seven assists came in the first half alone. 
 
Gulls freshman Matt Kneece (Shrewsbury, Mass.) made his presence known down low with six points, eight rebounds and three blocks at the defensive end.  Overall, Kneece had his best game of the season with nine points and 11 boards.  
 
Endicott held a 23-point advantage in the first half before settling on a 54-34 lead going into the break.
 
Eastern Nazarene came out of halftime on a 14-4 run that cut Endicott's lead down to single digits at 58-50 just 5:08 into the second period.  McCoy netted 10 of those points during the Lions run including two of his four three-pointers. 
 
The Gulls responded by building their lead back up to 14 points at 69-55 before another Eastern Nazarene streak made it just a three-point game with 6:07 on the clock.  Endicott clung to a 75-72 lead after another three-ball by McCoy capped off a 17-6 Lions run. 
 
With Eastern Nazarene in the bonus, however, the Gulls attacked the hoop and reached the foul line often and converted 7-of-8 free throw opportunities.  One of those came following a bucket and a foul for Makris who put the Gulls up by seven at 83-76 with 1:10 left in regulation.  Endicott finished out the game with free throws by Magee and Greene to earn the league win. 
 
Endicott next faces CCC and North Shore rival Gordon on Wednesday, February 8^th at 8:00 pm in Wenham.  Eastern Nazarene looks to snap an eight-game losing streak on Wednesday on the road against the University of New England.