Comeback Attempt Falls Just Short; Men's Basketball Drops Road Contest To Colby, 93-89

WATERVILLE, Maine — The Endicott men's basketball team nearly pulled off a late comeback, but ultimately fell to host Colby, 93-89, in Saturday afternoon's Colby Classic matchup inside the Margaret M. Crook Center.

Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) led the way with 30 points (11-18 FG, 2-5 3PT, 6-7 FT), 13 rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and an assist.

Caden Sullivan (Franklin, Mass.) surpassed his career high set last night with 22 points (6-17 FG, 9-13 FT) in today's contest, while Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) recorded 17 points (4-7 FG, 9-13 FT), three rebounds, three assists, and three steals in the loss.

Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) once again filled out the box score with eight points (3-4 FG, 2-3 FT), five rebounds, three assists and a pilfer for the Gulls.

A slow afternoon start for the Blue and Green saw them trailing 49-27 in the first half with 2:26 remaining. However, Montagnino and Sullivan drove hard to the rim and converted some late free throw chances to cut the deficit down to 16 (49-33) at the break.

Out of halftime, the Gulls continued to battle. The Mules eventually pushed their lead back to 20 (88-68, 4:31 remaining), but Endicott did not back down.

Trailing 92-77 with 2:57 to play, the Gulls scratched together a 12-0 run to make it a one-possession game (92-89) with under a minute remaining.

Timely free throw shooting from Kinney, Boen, Montagnino, and Sullivan led the charge, paired with clutch stops from the Gulls on the defensive end and a second-chance tap-in layup from Kinney down low.

The Gulls fouled with six seconds remaining, sending the Mules to the line in the one-possession game. The hosts split the pair to take a 93-89 lead.

With one final push down the court, the Blue and Green found Sullivan for a three-point attempt on the left wing, but the freshman could not convert the look. That ended the valiant comeback attempt and solidified the Colby 93-89 victory. 

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• First meeting between the two programs since 12/29/17.
• The Gulls outscored the Mules 56-44 in the second half, led by Kinney's 21 second half points.
• Kinney's 30 points set a new career high.
• He also logged his sixth double-double of the season in Endicott's seventh game.
• Colby shot a lights-out 16-29 (55.2.%) from beyond the arc.

WHAT'S NEXT

Endicott (6-1) heads to Regis on December 2 for a 7 PM non-conference matchup. Colby (4-0) travels to Lasell this Tuesday for a 5:30 PM non-conference clash. 

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(Photo Credit - Catherine Scarantino '26)