The teams traded leads over the first seven minutes of the game before the Gulls took an 8-7 lead on a layup from sophomore forward Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, SERBIA) with 13:00 left. That basket began a 14-2 run and would give Endicott a 20-9 lead on a tip-in by George with 8:26 left.
Marinkovic nailed a pair of free throws with 1:29 left, which gave Endicott its largest lead of the first half at 12 (27-15). Wentworth would cut the lead to six (27-21) with 50 seconds left, but a three-pointer and pair of free throws from senior guard Josh Oxton (Center Harbor, N.H.) closed out the half and gave Endicott a 32-21 lead.
The Gulls opened the second half scoring the first nine points, en route to a 14-2 run and a 23-point lead. After a pair of layups by junior forward Frankie Hall (Boston, Mass.) and two free throws by senior forward Carmino DeMercurio (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.), freshman guard Sherrard Prezzie-Blue (Norwalk, Conn.) scored Wentworth’s next 12 points – all by way of the three-pointer – and Wentworth would eventually trail by just 11 (51-40) with 12:44 left. However, it was the closest the Leopards would get, as the Gulls would increase their lead to as much as 25 late in the game.
Oxton and junior guard Zach Ellis (Westford, Mass.) each chipped in with 11 points for Endicott, while Prezzie-Blue led all scorers with 22 points on 9-for17 shooting. He also had six rebounds and four steals.
At Tansey Gymnasium, Boston, Mass. ENDICOTT 70, WENTWORTH 50 ENDICOTT (17-5, 13-1 CCC) Matt George 7-14 1-2 16; Josh Oxton 4-8 4-4 14; Zach Ellis 5-10 0-0 14; Nemanja Marinkovic 3-8 2-2 8; Gary Corbett 3-5 0-0 7; Michael Sullivan 2-2 0-0 4; James Leveque 1-4 0-0 3; Todd Burton 1-3 1-2 3; Sam Evans 0-1 1-4 1; Michael Lambert 0-1 0-0 0; Cam Twiss 0-1 0-0 0; Matt Hotin 0-2 0-0 0; Carlos Nunez 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 26-60 9-14 70. WENTWORTH (6-17, 4-11 CCC) Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 9-17 0-1 22; Frankie Hall 4-8 0-0 8; Jason DaCosta 2-8 0-0 5; Bryan Gaine 2-5 0-0 4; Carmino DeMercurio 1-3 2-4 4; Robert Fernandes 1-1 0-0 3; Tony Mossa 1-1 0-0 2; Ed Bolton 0-5 0-0 0; Matt Zeszotek 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-49 4-9 50. Endicott...................... 32 38 - 70 Wentworth..................... 21 29 - 50 3-point goals-Endicott 9-19 (Zach Ellis 4-8; Josh Oxton 2-3; Matt George 1-4; Gary Corbett 1-1; James Leveque 1-1; Matt Hotin 0-2), Wentworth 6-13 (Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 4-7; Jason DaCosta 1-1; Robert Fernandes 1-1; Ed Bolton 0-3; Matt Zeszotek 0-1). Fouled out--Endicott-None, Wentworth-None. Rebounds-Endicott 38 (Nemanja Marinkovic 7), Wentworth 30 (Sherrad Prezzie-Blue 6). Assists-Endicott 22 (Nemanja Marinkovic 4; Matt George 4), Wentworth 17 (Ed Bolton 6). Total fouls-Endicott 16, Wentworth 17. A-300