Athletic Information
Men's Basketball
Junior forward Nemanja Marinkovic poured in a game-high 21 points, but it wasn't enough as EC lost to rival Gordon Tuesday night. |
Scots Score First 13 To Beat Gulls
Jan. 31, 2006
WENHAM, MA - A rabid crowd can make all the difference in the world, especially if that crowd is fueled by the intensity of a college rivalry between schools in the same conference separated by no more than five miles.
Such is the case with Endicott College and Gordon College. The Scots utilized their home-court advantage to perfection Tuesday night, scoring the first 13 points of the game and a huge, 72-67, Commonwealth Coast Conference victory at the Bennett Center.
The win lifts the Fighting Scots to 15-3 and 8-1 in the CCC - their only conference loss was at Endicott. The two schools are now tied for first place in the CCC North Division with seven conference games remaining.
The Gulls are 11-7 overall after their second straight loss, and 8-1 in the CCC.
Gordon was unconscious from beyond the arc, shooting 75 percent in the first half and 10-of-18 in the game. Gordon's John Marstaller (Naples, ME) was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field for a first-half best nine points. He finished with 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting with five rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while John Beebe (Clive, IA), Mark Beebe (Clive, IA) and Michael Herr (Lampeter, PA) each added six points in the first. Herr wound up with 13 points and nine boards, while John Beebe ended with seven points.
Endicott junior forward Nemanja Marinkovic (Belgrade, Serbia & Montenegro/Second Baptist School, TX) led all scorers with 21 points and a game-high 11 rebounds to accompany a steal and a block. Gary Corbett (Danbury, CT/Danbury) was the only other Gull in double figures, finishing with 12 points, converting 3-of-4 from three-point land.
The Scots led by as many as 17 (20-3) with 12:00 remaining in the first. And as the lead bubbled to 31-15, the hosts were shooting an unbelievable 83 percent, including 75 percent from beyond the three-point line.
Endicott senior forward Zach Ellis (Wesford Academy, Westford) stemmed the tide as the half came to a close, canning consecutive treys to cut the deficit to 14 at intermission (44-30). He had eight points and three assists in the game.
The lead hovered around 18 points in the second half until George and freshman Francis Mayi (Lawrence, MA/Lawrence), who collected three points and three rebounds, hit consecutive buckets, dropping the lead to 56-43 with 12:58 remaining in regulation.
Endicott sophomore guard Todd Burton (Lynn, MA/St. Mary's) hit a runner in the lane, dropping the lead to 63-55 inside of two minutes remaining. And Corbett made things interesting in the final minute, knocking down two consecutive three's with under a minute to play but Gordon made their foul shots down the stretch to keep the visitors at bay.
Endicott, which was looking to win its eighth game in nine attempts, will host New England College Thursday night (6) while the Scots travel to Anna Maria College (8).
