BEVERLY, Mass. – The finale of a home-and-home series between Suffolk and Endicott men's basketball came down to the wire. Both teams overcame double figure deficits throughout the game and ultimately the Gulls gained momentum at the right time to take a 95-91 decision over the Rams Sunday afternoon at MacDonald Gym.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 91 | Endicott 95
RECORDS: Suffolk (3-1) | Endicott (1-1)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first 10 minutes saw the score tie three times and the lead flip-flop seven, a preview of what would be a back-and-forth battle. Endicott broke a 20-all tie to send Suffolk into the under 12 media timeout down two, 22-20.  

Out of the huddle, the playing field would level twice more before the Gulls built a nine-point cushion, 37-28, with 6:08 remaining in the first frame. William Rowe sparked a 7-3 run that featured two buckets from John Gates that put the blue-and-gold back within five, 40-35. 

Endicott responded with a 6-2 stretch of its own to gain a seven-point lead at the 2:04 minute mark. Back-and-forth baskets took over the last two minutes of the half, which kept the hosts ahead, 48-42, at the break.  

Six minutes into the second half, behind an 11-3 Rams' run, Suffolk knotted the score at 55. The lead then switched in the blue-and-gold's favor when Alex Jacovides converted on a jumper with 13:40 on the clock.   

From an Endicott timeout, a Suffolk scoring frenzy occurred that helped grow the edge into a double-digit distance. A Brendan Mulson layup was followed by back-to-back triples by Gates with a trey from Aidan Sullivan capping off the stretch that turned things into a 13-point game, 73-60, with just under 10 minutes to go. 

The visitors managed to maintained the 10-point cushion over the next two minutes before the run game turned in favor of the Gulls. Eight unanswered points by the hosts sliced the margin down to three, 86-83, with 2:28 remaining. 

Sharpshooting by Ty Vikto shifted momentum into the Gulls favor. He first struck from downtown to tie things up at 86 and did so again to regain the advantage for Endicott, 91-88, with 49 seconds on the scoreboard.  

As time ticked off the clock, the blue-and-gold gambled by sending Endicott to the free throw line. The Gulls capitalized on their charity stripe trips and Suffolk found itself down 95-88 with 10 seconds left.  

Sullivan swished a ball from behind-the-arc to trim the gap down to four, but there was not enough time left for the Rams to comeback.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Suffolk saw five players in double figures led by Jacovides' 19-point performance. The senior added six caroms, and two helpers. 
• Sullivan had an all-around day with 17 points behind a 6-for-10 effort from the field, including a 4-for-6 effort from behind-the-arc. The sophomore also had five boards, five assists and one steal. 
• Gates registered 15 points in a reserve effort with a 6-for-9 showing from the floor and 3-for-5 effort from long distance. He also contributed six rebounds, two dimes and two takeaways. 
• Rowe recorded 14 points, eight rebounds, one block and one assist to round out the top Suffolk scorers.            
• As a team, Suffolk shot 46.3 percent (37-80) from the floor, 37.0 percent (10-27) from three-point land and 63.6 percent (7-11) at the free throw line. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Gulls, 41-38.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Sullivan notched personal-bests in points (17), field goals made (6), three-point field goals made (4) and rebounds (5). 
• Gates registered career-highs in field goals made (6), rebounds (6), assists (2) and steals (2), and matched a personal-high in points (15).  

POST-GAME PIC
  

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk Athletics will continue to release its winter sports schedule on a week-by-week basis. Fans are encouraged to check GoSuffolkRams.com mid-week when the next batch of games will be unveiled.