BEVERLY, MASS. – The Roger Williams men's basketball team fell to first place Endicott College on Wednesday evening, moving their record to 11-6 in Conference of New England action. Their loss at Endicott marks the final road game of the regular season for the Hawks. The win by the Gulls will allow to them to hold their spot at the top of the conference standings at 15-2.
Both offenses got off to a fast start in the matchup, with each squad putting up 15 points apiece about six minutes into the game. It was
Mac Annus who led the way with 12 of the Hawks first 18 points. His layup at the 13:00 minute mark would knot things up 18, with a
Will MacDonald three pointer pushing the men in front by three. Roger Williams would hold the lead until the 10-minute mark, when a Cam Keliher three pointer would tie things back up, this time at 25. From there, it was all Gulls as they would close the first frame on a 23-9 run, heading into the locker room with a 48-34 lead.
The Hawks opened the second frame with a quick 12-2 run, cutting the deficit to just five, four minutes into the half. Cam Keliher would respond with another three-point jumper, pushing the deficit back to eight. The Gulls would go on an 8-0 run of their own in response to the Hawks, bringing their lead to 13. They would hold their double digit lead all way until the 5:30 mark, when a
Will MacDonald three pointer brought the Hawks to within seven. However, the Hawks failure to get multiple spots in a row for the next three minutes would allow Endicott to secure the 91-82 win.
Roger Williams would shoot just 6/20 from three-point distance in the loss, with the Gulls shooting 8/21. The Gulls would also outrebound the Hawks 36-29 in their win.
Mac Annus (Belmont, Mass.) led the way for Roger Williams, tallying 23 points while shooting 9/14 from the field.
Will MacDonald (York, Me.) chipped in 18 of his own in just 19 minutes of play.
Finn Miller (Stamford, Conn.) filled up the stat sheet with nine points, 10 rebounds, and five assists. For Endicott, it was Marcus Montagnino who pumped in a game-high 27 points, adding nine rebounds and five assists to go along with it. Matt Boen added 17 points on 7/10 shooting from the field, 3/4 of which coming from long distance.
The Hawks will travel back home to take on the University of New England for their regular season finale. Following the matchup, they will begin the Conference of New England Playoff Tournament on Tuesday, Feb. 25.
