Men's Basketball Drops Home Opener To Middlebury, 90-78

BEVERLY, Mass. — The Endicott men's basketball team fell to Middlebury, 90-78, in its 2024-25 home opener on Sunday afternoon at MacDonald Gymnasium.

Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) led the way for the Blue and Green with 15 points (7-12 FG), seven assists, six rebounds, and a theft in his 31 minutes of play.

AJ Forte (Peabody, Mass.) erupted for a career-high 22 points off the bench. The freshman guard shot a lights-out seven-for-eight from three-point territory, and also chased down two rebounds in his 24 minutes of action.

Jeff Hill (Lynn, Mass.) and Drew Brown (Pelham, N.H.) rounded out the double-digit scorers, as they posted 12 points (5-13 FG, 2-4 3PT) and 10 points (3-7 FG, 2-4 3 PT, 2-2 FT), respectively.

The first half featured a dog fight between the two teams. They traded baskets frequently, as represented by the 10 lead changes in the half.

The Panthers took their largest lead of the first half at 24-19, but Parker McLaren (Newburyport, Mass.) immediately erased the deficit by drilling triples on back-to-back possession, reclaiming a 25-24 Endicott lead.

After a mini 6-0 run put the Panthers back on top by five, Forte ignited a 14-3 response with four deep-balls, putting the Gulls up 39-33. The Panthers closed the half with a free-throw and a triple to make it a 39-37 Endicott lead after 20.

In the second stanza, the visitors pulled away from the Gulls. A 14-2 run right out of the break put the Panthers up by a commanding 51-41 score.

From there, the Blue and Green played catch up and were ultimately unable to track down the Panthers, who took the contest by a final of 90-78.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• With his seven triples, Forte ties a host of Gulls for 10th most all-time in program single-game history.
• Nate Lapham (Douglas, Mass.) scored his first career field goal with a three-ball in the final minute of the contest.
• Middlebury is receiving votes in the D3hoops.com national poll.
• First double-digit scoring output from Brown since 2/14/24 (Curry, 81-78 W).
• The Gulls were doubled up on the glass, 54-27.

WHAT'S NEXT 

Endicott (2-3) opens up Conference of New England (CNE) play on Wednesday, as they travel to Curry for a 7:30 PM tipoff. Middlebury (5-0) heads to New England College on Wednesday for a 5 PM road matchup. 

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(Photo Credit - Mazzie Hinsdale '26)