No. 17 Men's Basketball Defeats Curry, 84-76

MILTON, Mass. — The No. 17 nationally ranked Endicott men's basketball team picked up its 10th straight win after an 84-76 result over Curry in Tuesday night's Conference of New England (CNE) matchup from Katz Gymnasium.

Marcus Montagnino (Gloucester, Mass.) led the Blue and Green with his 25 points (9-16 FG, 1-2 3PT, 6-8 FT), five rebounds, three assists, and two steals.

Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) picked up his 12th double-double of the season after his 17-point (7-13 FG, 3-4 FT), 11-rebound, and six-block night from the floor.

Jeff Hill (Lynn, Mass.) scored 20 points (7-10 FG, 3-5 3PT, 3-4 FT), snagged three boards, and dished out two assists in his 31 minutes.

The Blue and Green hopped out to a quick 9-2 run thanks to seven points from Hill (3-3 FG, 1-1 3PT) right out of the gate. However, Curry closed the gap, and even took hold of a 19-17 lead.

That lead was short-lived, as Endicott responded with a 7-0 run, highlighted by a Liam Dunfee (Nahant, Mass.) corner three.

The Gulls kept the foot on the gas pedal through the rest of the half, stretching their lead to as much as nine (36-27) before eventually heading to break with a 41-33 lead. 

In the second half, Cam Keliher (South Hampton, N.H.) netted a triple to give the Gulls their largest lead of the night at 14 (56-42) with 14:55 remaining. 

The Colonels did not back down, and at the 8:20 mark, they knocked down a triple to draw back within five (61-56). 

Some three-point marksmanship from Matt Boen (Mansfield, Mass.) and Hill pushed Endicott's lead back to 11.

Once again, however, the Colonels did not relent. They escaped for a 16-9 charge, making it a 78-74 contest with 1:25 left to play.

Thankfully for the Gulls, the defense thwarted any further action, and Hill, Montagnino, and Caden Sullivan (Franklin, Mass.) knocked down their late free throw opportunities to seal the 84-76 road win.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Endicott holds a 39-13 lead over Curry in the all-time series.
• The Gulls have won each of the last 26 matchups in the series.
• Season-high scoring output for Hill. 
• Most points scored for him since 1/7/25 (27 points).
• Kinney tied his career high with six blocks.
• Dunfee knocked down his first triple since 1/23/24.
• Kinney's 12 double-doubles rank third nationally.

WHAT'S NEXT

No. 17 Endicott (16-1, 8-0 CNE) hosts Wentworth next Wednesday, 1/28 at 5:30 PM inside MacDonald Gymnasium. Curry (5-12, 1-7 CNE) hosts Johnson and Wales on Saturday in a 2 PM CNE tipoff. 

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(Photo Credit - Bradley Griffin '28)