Two-time defending Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) champion Endicott slips under the .500 mark for a 4-5 record. This afternoon's meeting marked the first time in five seasons in which neither the road team was victorious nor the outcome was decided by two points or less.
Both teams were slow to start the game, as it took nearly six minutes for the Gulls to hit their first field goal when sophomore Todd Burton (Lynn, MA/Saint Mary's) knotted the score at 4-4 with 14:20 to play. Wheaton senior Sean Kelly (Providence, RI/Wheeler School) and Endicott sophomore Gary Corbett (Danbury, CT/Danbury) exchanged three-point baskets, followed by another trey from Gull senior Matt George (Dover, NH/Dover) to give the visitors a 10-7 edge with 9:16 to play.
Trailing by three points with 7:28 remaining, the Lyons picked up the pace and used the next five minutes to string together a 13-2 run for a 22-14 lead. Endicott responded with a quick 7-0 spurt over a 1:06 span, highlighted by a three-pointer from senior Zach Ellis (Westford, MA/Westford Academy). Both teams shot poorly in the stanza, with Wheaton hitting six field goals for 21.4 percent and Endicott making seven shots from the floor while shooting 31.8 percent. The Lyons also went 8-of-10 (.800) on free throws.
Freshman Kristopher Pedra (Avon, CT/Avon) provided Wheaton with a second-half spark, knocking down his first three shots for seven points in the first 4:08 to give the Lyons a 36-32 advantage. Endicott kept the score close and eventually grabbed its first lead in 15 minutes thanks to a pair of George freebies at the 11:22 mark. That sparked a two-minute stretch which saw four of the game's seven lead changes, with the final one swinging in favor of the hosts on a Brent DiGiovanna (Hanover, MA/Hanover) lay-up with 9:10 left. DiGiovanna's basket ignited a 20-6 run for a 63-50 lead with 2:18 to go. Endicott would get no closer than 12 points, sending Wheaton to the free throw line to seal the double-digit win.
Kelly led all scorers with 16 points in addition to dishing nine assists, grabbing six steals and pulling down five rebounds. Junior Brian Zukowski (Dracut, MA/Dracut) was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in recording 11 markers, while senior James Greenslit (Framingham, MA/Rivers School) tallied 10 points with three steals. DiGiovanna added nine points and six boards, as the Lyons came back to shoot 56.0 percent in the second stanza.
George and junior Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia-Montenegro/Second Baptist School) recorded 15 points apiece for the Gulls, with Marinkovic grabbing a game-high nine boards and providing a team-best six helpers.
The Lyons return to action on Thursday and Friday, December 29-30, in the Weenie Miller Holiday Hoops Tournament at Hampden-Sydney College in Hampden-Sydney, Virginia. Wheaton opposes Neumann College (PA) at 4:00 p.m. on December 29 in the tournament's opening round.
Newspaper Box Score Endicott College vs Wheaton College 12/10/05 2:00 p.m. at Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. At Emerson Gymnasium, Norton, Mass. WHEATON COLLEGE 71, ENDICOTT COLLEGE 56 ENDICOTT COLLEGE (4-5) Nemanja Marinkovic 5-9 4-4 15; Matt George 5-11 4-4 15; Zach Ellis 3-7 1-1 8; Joey Burgos 2-3 0-2 4; Mike Sullivan 0-5 3-4 3; Gary Corbett 1-2 0-0 3; Todd Burton 1-5 1-2 3; Brandon Diaz 1-1 1-3 3; Francis Mayi 1-1 0-1 2; Mike Lambert 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 19-45 14-21 56. WHEATON COLLEGE (7-1) Sean Kelly 4-11 6-10 16; Brian Zukowski 2-8 5-6 11; James Greenslit 3-6 2-2 10; Brent DiGiovanna 2-5 5-6 9; David Harding 3-7 3-4 9; Kristopher Pedra 3-8 0-0 7; Eric Johnston 1-3 2-2 4; Patrick McDonough 1-2 0-0 3; Justin Brown 1-3 0-0 2; Leif Kothe 0-0 0-0 0; Ben Davis 0-0 0-0 0; Patrick Youreneff 0-0 0-0 0; Jake Otto 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 20-53 23-30 71. Endicott College.............. 21 35 - 56 Wheaton College............... 22 49 - 71 3-point goals-Endicott College 4-10 (Zach Ellis 1-3; Matt George 1-3; Nemanja Marinkovic 1-2; Gary Corbett 1-1; Todd Burton 0-1), Wheaton College 8-25 (Brian Zukowski 2-8; Sean Kelly 2-5; James Greenslit 2-5; Patrick McDonough 1-1; Kristopher Pedra 1-3; Justin Brown 0-2; Eric Johnston 0-1). Fouled out--Endicott College-Mike Sullivan, Wheaton College-None. Rebounds-Endicott College 30 (Nemanja Marinkovic 9), Wheaton College 33 (David Harding 7). Assists-Endicott College 13 (Nemanja Marinkovic 6), Wheaton College 13 (Sean Kelly 9). Total fouls-Endicott College 25, Wheaton College 21. A-210