Gulls fall short at Salve Regina, 76-64

NEWPORT, R.I. – Despite four double-digit point performances from the Endicott men's basketball team, the Gulls could not overcome a hot-shooting Salve Regina squad that won 76-64 in the CCC schedule opener. 

Endicott (3-2, 0-1 CCC) saw their three-game win-streak snapped by Salve Regina (3-2, 1-0 CCC) who won back-to-back games for the first time this season. 

Gulls junior guard Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) sunk 5-of-7 shots from the floor and 9-of-12 free attempts to pace Endicott with 19 points.  Greene also grabbed two rebounds and made two steals in the loss. 

Endicott sophomore guard Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) recorded a double-double in 36 minutes on the court, dropping 14 points and grabbing 12 rebounds.  Like Greene, Magee attacked the hoop often and found success at the free throw line by going a perfect 6-of-6. 

The freshman duo of John Henault (Lunenberg, Mass.) and two-time CCC Rookie of the Week Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) also scored in double figures with 16 and 11 points, respectively.  Henault was efficient, connecting on 5-of-9 shots including two three-pointers and 4-of-5 free throw attempts.  He also grabbed five boards and forced a turnover. 

Salve Regina's Ryan Birrell (Scituate, R.I.) scored 24 points and dished out seven assists for the Seahawks.  Seahawks freshman guard Brendan Canova (Edina, Minn.) added 16 points, six rebounds and four assists while Patrick Dinneen (Medfield, Mass.) was Salve Regina's third double-digit point scorer with 12 points. 

Both teams were efficient shooters at just 40% field goal percentage but Salve made their presence felt outside the three-point line as the Seahawks went 8-of-20 from beyond the arc.   Salve Regina was also able to convert 18 Endicott turnovers into 22 points. 

Endicott held a 10-8 advantage early in the first half, but Salve Regina rattled off nine straight points to take the lead at the 12:06 mark.  The Gulls fought back to pull within one at 20-19 after Magee forced a turnover, drew a foul on a fast break and made both of his free throws.  Salve Regina rebounded by going on a 10-4 run that would give them a 30-23 advantage heading into a timeout at 5:34.  The Seahawks pushed their seven-point lead to nine at 40-33 to close out the half.

In the second half, Salve Regina went up by 12 points but a Henault three-ball and a layup by Makris brought the Seahawks lead back down to seven at the 14:05 mark.  For the remainder of game, Salve Regina went ahead by over 10 points and maintained their lead before ending the game with the 14-point advantage. 

The Gulls look to return to their winning ways at home on Saturday against CCC rival Roger Williams in what will be a rematch of last year's conference quarterfinals.  Tip-off is at 3:00 pm in MacDonald Gymnasium.