Endicott Falters in Second Half to Berkeley (NY) at Trinity Holiday Invitational

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Endicott men's basketball showed some rust, playing in their first game in 17 days, as the Gulls lost on day one of the Trinity (Conn.) Holiday Invitational 80-62 to Berkeley (N.Y.). Endicott got a game-high 19 points from sophomore guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) but the Blue and Green struggled as a team, hitting 36% of their shots from the field and 27% (7-of-26) of their three-point attempts in the loss.

Endicott (5-3) will take on MCLA (2-7) who comes off a 76-72 loss to the host Bantams in the tournament's opening game. The Gulls and Trailblazers last met on November 19^th, 2011 with Endicott capturing a 77-75 win in the North Shore Collegiate Tip-Off Championship at home. Endicott is 3-0 against MCLA all-time.

Motroni's 19 points came on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor including 3-of-8 from beyond the arc and 6-of-7 at the free throw line. The sophomore hauled in three bounds and registered an assist. Endicott's only other player in double figures was fellow sophomore point guard Drew Sawyer (Norwalk, Conn.) who scored 11 points with two assists and a rebound in 26 minutes off the bench.

The Gulls leaned heavily on their bench throughout the game with sophomore guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) proved to be Endicott's most effective rebounder, grabbing seven caroms including four on the offensive glass while adding five points. Senior captain and forward Tell White (New Castle, N.H.) hit three of his six shots from six points, collected five rebounds, and dished out two assists. Guards Chris Lipscomb (West Springfield, Mass.) and Joel Villa (Bronx, N.Y.) both contributed with significant minutes off the bench.

As the Gulls were struggling offensively, Berkeley was on par with their shooting averages on the season as the Knights made 49% of their field goal attempts. Four players were in double figures for Berkeley including leading scorer Stephon Jennings (New York, N.Y.) who poured in 16 points while factoring into his team's rebounding advantage with 13 boards. The Knights outrebounded Endicott 45-37 in the game. Starters Kenton Chan-Man (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Keenan Langston (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both netted 13 points apiece and reserve guard Massiah Merritt (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 15 points on 7-of-15 shooting with six rebounds, two steals, and an assist.

The two teams battled throughout the first half with Endicott starting off hot with an eight-point advantage (13-5) at the 13:27 mark before watching Berkeley fight back to build a six-point lead (26-20) with just 2:54 left until the half. Endicott would close the half on an 11-4 run, capped off by a Motroni three-ball to give the Gulls a 31-28 halftime advantage.

Berkeley managed to take a 42-39 lead 4:09 into the second half after back-to-back buckets by Langston. After Gulls sophomore Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) recorded a steal and fast-break layup to make it a one-point game, the Knights took over by scoring 22 of the next 26 points to take a commanding 64-45 lead. Endicott was able to trim the Berkeley lead from 19 down to 12 with 2:40 remaining, but the Gulls would not be able to overcome the large deficit.