Walker's Late Game Heroics Drops UNE 103-95, in Overtime

BEVERLY, Mass. – Three clutch free throws near the end of regulation and 10 overtime points from Endicott freshman guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) pushed the Gulls past a relentless University of New England three-point shooting barrage as Endicott came out on top 103-95 in an overtime, Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) victory.

Endicott (8-2, 2-1 CCC), winners of four straight games, began 2014 with an important victory to start 2014 as the Gulls had dropped both regular season contests to UNE during the 2012-13 season. Saturday's game marked the first of 16-straight CCC games that will go through January and February to the end of the regular season. 

The Blue and Green improved to 15-10 all-time versus UNE and will next face Salve Regina (8-2, 3-0 CCC) on Tuesday, January 7^th at home for a 7:30 pm tip-off. The Seahawks are coming off a 73-65 victory over Nichols and are the last remaining unbeaten team in conference games.

UNE (1-9, 1-2 CCC) suffered their third straight loss and will take on Wentworth at home on Tuesday. The Nor'easters saw five shooters sink multiple three-point attempts with first year guard Brayden Morse (Long Beach, Calif.) leading the charge with a 6-of-9 performance from long range with a game-high 26 points.  As a team, UNE hit 18-of-35 (.514) shots from three-point range.

It was Walker's effort late in the game, however, that sealed the Endicott win. Trailing 88-85 with just seconds remaining, Walker was fouled on a three-point bid and earned three free throw attempts to try and tie the game.  Walker hit all three shots and the Gulls survived a last second three-point shot by the Nor'easters as the two squads headed into overtime.

Walker dominated the overtime period, scoring eight straight points to tip momentum in favor of the home team. Leading 97-88, UNE scored their first points of overtime on a pair of Joshua Butler (Nantucket, Mass.) free throws with 2:19 remaining.  UNE would get no closer than within seven points as Endicott hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final minute to maintain their and take the 103-95 victory. Walker finished with 19 points off the bench.

Leading by five start the second half, Endicott steadily increased their advantage to as large as 16 points as nine points from junior guard John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.), seven from junior forward Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.), and two steals and three points from freshman guard Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) proved to be critical. Henault would finish with a team-high 22 points with three boards, two assists, and two steals while Makris contributed with 13 off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting.  Lipscomb would total five points and three steals while providing tough defense in just his third game of action of the season.

UNE, trailing 68-52 with 11:28 remaining in the second half, started their comeback as three Nor'easters players scored in double figures during the period.  First year guard Justin Pollard (Standish, Maine) netted 14 of his 19 points in the second half while both Morse and sophomore guard Devin Thompson (Winthrop, Mass.) dropped 11 points apiece.  Down 78-76 with 4:13 to go, UNE secured their first lead since the 17:40 mark of the first half as a Morse's three-point shot was good.  The Nor'easters would build a four-point lead before Walker and the Gulls stormed back to tie it up. 

Other Endicott contributors in this game included freshman forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) with 10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks, and two steals.  Junior forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) added 13 points and six boards, three of which were on the offensive glass.  Senior guard Greg Jacques (Brockton, Mass.) dished out eight assists before being forced out of the game due to foul trouble. 

UNE got strong games from senior guard Kurt Steiner (Rutland, Mass.) who finished with 15 points, five rebounds, five assists, and a steal in a starting role while Russ Daly (Voorheesville, N.Y.) and William Abdul-Malak (Beirut, Lebanon) added seven and six points off the bench, respectively.