BOSTON, Mass. – Sophomore guard Lance Greene (Dorchester, Mass.) scored a game-high 30 points and collected five rebounds to pace the Endicott College men's basketball team to a 75-71 win over Wentworth in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference contest at Tansey Gymnasium.
The host Leopards got off to a quick, 4-0 start on a pair of baskets from senior forward Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) After a Greene basket, Herrick countered with a layup to put Wentworth ahead by four. Endicott scored the next five points to take a 7-6 lead with 14:50 left after freshman forward Lachlan Magee (Melbourne, Australia) drained a three and freshman guard Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) hit a layup.
Wentworth scored the next five points as sophomore forward Corey Therriault (Auburn, Maine) drained a three and junior forward Matt Harte (Troy, N.Y.) hit a baseline jumper. The Leopards held a 13-11 lead with 11:26 left before the Gulls used a 7-0 run, capped off by a Greene trifecta with 7:13 left.
After a Herrick dunk cut the lead to 22-20 with 5:07 left, Endicott outscored the hosts, 15-7 – with Greene scoring six points – over the remainder of the half and led, 37-27 at the break.
Greene opened the second half with a layup to give Endicott a 39-27 lead and led, 45-37, with 15:19 left before the Leopards used a 9-0 run to take a 46-45 lead on a Harte layup with 12:43 to play. However, the visitors regained the lead on a pair of junior forward Erik Callo (Southington, Conn.) free throws and led by three (49-46) on a Knowlton basket.
Therriault pulled Wentworth back within one with 9:18 remaining, but Greene countered with a fast break layup, and, after a pair of missed Leopard shots, junior forward Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) drain a three ball to put the Gulls ahead, 54-48, with 8:29 remaining. After a trifecta from senior guard Keenan Burke-Pitts (Auburn, Mass.) pulled the Leopards back within three, Endicott went on a 9-1 run to take a 63-52 lead, on a three by Greene.
Wentworth would pull within five with under a minute to play, but Endicott went 8-for-8 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal the win.
Greene connected on 12-of-17 shots and grabbed five rebounds to pace Endicott. Magee had 16 points, three rebounds, and two steals, while Karkow and Knowlton each added eight. Karkow also had eight rebounds.
Herrick went 10-for-17 from the floor, en route to a 25-point night and recorded his fifth-straight double-double with a game-high 14 rebounds. Therriault had 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists, while Harte and freshman forward Derek Mayo (Casco, Maine) added seven points apiece. Burke-Pitts had seven assists. Wentworth held a 46-32 rebounding advantage on the game.
With the win Endicott improves to 11-6 overall and 3-2 in TCCC play. The Gulls host Roger Williams Thursday night. Wentworth dropped its second straight to stand at 8-8 overall and 3-2 in league play. The Leopards are at Salve Regina, also on Thursday.
