Gulls Open Season With 86-56 Victory Over Anna Maria In Babson Tip-Off Tournament

BABSON PARK, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team secured an 86-56 season-opening victory over Anna Maria College Saturday afternoon inside Staake Gymnasium in non-conference neutral game action to begin the 2016-17 season as part of the Babson Tip-Off Tournament.

Endicott took a 32-27 lead into halftime before exploding for 54 points in the second half en route to a 30-point victory — the team's third highest margin of victory in a season opener in program history.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott is now 12-11 in season openers in the team's 23-year program history, as the Gulls have won the past five games to begin a season.
• The Gulls scored 51 points at Lesley to begin the 2014-15 season on 11/18/14  and 31 points also against Lesley to begin the 2008-9 season.
• The Gulls placed five student athletes in double figures, as senior guard Kamahl Walker (Worcester, Mass.) led the way with a game-high 22 points.
• Sophomore guard Joe Shehadi (Dorset, Vt.) and senior guard Stephen Basden (Lynn, Mass.) each chipped in 12 points, while senior forward Daquan Sampson (Germantown, Md.) and sophomore guard Vinny Clifford (Danvers, Mass.) netted 11 points apiece.
• 12 points is a new career-high for Shehadi, while Clifford tied his career-high with 11.
• Sampson also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
• Senior guard Max Motroni (West Warwick, R.I.) dished out a team-high four assists.
• Endicott scored 25 points off turnovers to Anna Maria's six.
• The Gulls led by as much as 34 with 4:55 remaining in the game.

FOR THE FOES

• The AMCATS were led in scoring by junior guard Liam Pickett's (Oxford, Mass.) 13 points, followed by senior guard David Jean-Louis' (Miramar, Fla.) and freshman forward Mike Rapoza's (Charlton, Mass.) 11 and 10 points, respectively.
• Rapoza earned his second double-double of the season as he also brought down a game-high 10 rebounds and had a game-high five assists.
• Anna Maria out-rebounded Endicott, 37-33.

NOTES

• The Gulls are 3-0 in season openers in head coach Kevin Bettencourt's third season at the helm.
• Endicott is 12-4 against Anna Maria in the all-time series.
• Anna Maria won, 86-66, in the most recent meeting before today on 01/19/11 in Paxton, Mass.
• The Gulls are also receiving the most votes in the D3Hoops Top 25 Preseason Poll for a team not ranked.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (1-0, 0-0 CCC) takes on No. 3 nationally-ranked Babson College on Sunday, November 20 at 2:00 p.m. to wrap up the Babson Tip-Off Tournament.

Anna Maria (0-3, 0-0 GNAC) will host No. 1 nationally-ranked Amherst on Monday, November 21 at 5:30 p.m. 

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