Men's Basketball Drops Opener at Endicott
Beverly, Mass. - Endicott College erased a 12-point second half deficit to rally past Framingham State, 81-78, in non-conference men's basketball action on Wednesday evening. With the win, the Gulls even their record at 1-1 while the Rams fall to 0-1 to open their campaign.
Framingham State was quick out of the gates, building a 14-2 lead just five minutes into the game. Senior forward Josue Almodovar (Holyoke, Mass.), who averaged 20.9 points and 10 rebounds per game a year ago, scored six of the Rams' first 14 points to help put the visitors ahead early.
Endicott slowly began to chip away at the lead as reigning TCCC Player of the Week Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine) knocked down a 3-ball from the near side to bring the Gulls within three, 23-20. Moments later, senior guard Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) dialed in from behind the arc to cut the lead to just two, 29-27.
A late push by Almodovar and the Rams rebuilt the Framingham momentum heading into the intermission, as Almodovar backed his way in on the base line and converted a nice up and under move, followed by a pull-up jumper from Darius Yarrell (Brockton, Mass.). Yarrell saved his best shot for the end of the half as the speedy senior guard sunk a runner to beat the game clock, sending the Rams into the break with a 43-34 lead.
The Gulls made their biggest adjustment at the half as the focus shifted to stopping Almodovar. The senior forward led all scorers in the opening frame with 18 points and eight rebounds.
After trading buckets to open the second stanza, Endicott made its move. Freshman guard Danquah Rawlins (Mattapan, Mass.) helped spark a 13-2 run, capped off by a 3-pointer from Whitelaw. Rawlins contributed five points, a rebound and a steal during the stretch.
Following consecutive makes from Framingham's Davis Saltmarsh (Bow, N.H.) and Roderick Jackson (Cambridge, Mass.), Endicott continued its rally as the Gulls built a 10-point lead off 3-pointers from Whitelaw, Rawlins and Matt Bibeau (Wilmington, Mass.). In a five minute span, Endicott outscored FSC, 19-8.
Despite trailing by 10, the Rams responded with a 9-0 run of their own, pulling within one after a Darius Yarrell 3-pointer. An offensive rebound and put-back by Rawlins put the Gulls up three, only to have Jackson muscle his way inside to cut the lead back down to one. Endicott's Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) fired back with a 16-foot jumper, giving Endicott an 81-78 lead with just a minute left in regulation.
Framingham would have a chance late as Almodovar missed a 3-point opportunity. The Rams regained possession after Ben Ford (Hanson, Mass.) missed a jumper, giving the visitors the ball with just four seconds remaining. After each team took a timeout, Yarrell raced down the far sideline and attempted a handoff play just over midcourt. The exchange, however, was bobbled and prevented the Rams from getting a shot off before the buzzer.
Endicott had four players reach double figures as Rawlins finished the night with 15 points and five rebounds, while Whitelaw had 13 points and five assists. Both Bibeau and Calo had 11 points and three blocks apiece in the victory.
Almodovar scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed 15 rebounds in the losing effort. Almodovar was held to just four second half points after scoring 18 in the opening 20 minutes. Yarrell had 14 points and four assists while Chad Dixon (Brockton, Mass.) finished with 13 points from the Rams.
Endicott returns to action on Friday night when the Gulls take on Ithaca College at the Amherst Tip-Off Tournament beginning at 8:00 p.m. Framingham State retakes the court in search of its first win when the Rams face Clark at 7:30 p.m. in the Golden Bear Classic on the same evening.