AMCATS take down Gulls, 86-66
PAXTON, Mass. (01.19.11) – The Anna Maria College men's basketball team had five players finish in double figures during an 86-66 victory over Endicott College in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference matchup at The Fuller Activities Center on Wednesday night. The AMCATS have now won six of their last seven games, improving to 9-7 overall and 3-1 in the conference, while the Gulls drop to 10-6 on the season and 2-2 in TCCC-play.
The AMCATS were paced by sophomore Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) who led all players with 26 points and eight assists, while also grabbing seven rebounds. Click, the conference leader in field goal percentage, knocked down 10-of-13 shots from the floor while going perfect from both the line (5-for-5) and from beyond the arc (1-of-1). Senior Chris Pinsonault (Marlboro, Mass.) finished with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting, and point guard Junior De La Hoz (Lawrence, Mass.) added 12 points, six assists and three treys in the win. Senior Derek Johnson (Worcester, Mass.) approached a double-double with 11 points and eight boards, while freshman Joe Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) hit 4-of-6 shots from the field, including both of his three-point attempts, to finish with 10 points.
Endicott was led by junior Eric Callo (Southington, Conn.) who had 13 points and a team-best six rebounds on the night. Freshman Tyler Burkhart (Cromwell, Conn.) scored a team-high 15 points in the loss, while freshman Milan Drecun (Montenegro) chipped-in with 12 points and a game-high three steals.
The AMCATS jumped out of the gate to take an early 8-2 lead, as Johnson and Click each contributed four quick points.
The Gulls came right back, and after consecutive layups by Callo and Drecun, the game was knotted at 10-all with 15 minutes remaining in the opening frame.
Leading 23-20 at the nine minute mark, the AMCATS went on a 9-0 run, capped by an inbounds steal and layup by sophomore Javier Bristol (Haverhill, Mass.) to give AMC a 32-20 advantage.
The AMCATS still led by 11 with 3:57 remaining in the half before the Gulls scored on three consecutive possessions, getting a basket from freshman Jordan Lewis (Windsor, Conn.) and both a trey and a jumper by Drecun to cut the AMC lead to just four.
The AMCATS responded to close out the period on an 8-3 run, including a three by De La Hoz on the half's final possession, to go into the locker room with a 45-36 advantage.
Click led all players with 13 points and six assists during the period for Anna Maria, while Drecun and Callo paced the Gulls with 10 points apiece.
The AMCATS opened up the second half on a 9-2 run, including a stretch of seven straight points by Pinsonault, to open a 16-point lead and never looked back. The Gulls were unable to cut the lead back down to single digits, with the AMC advantage swelling to as many as 26 before the AMCATS eventually sealed the 86-66 victory.
Both teams return to conference action this Saturday at 3:00 pm, with the Gulls traveling to face Wentworth and the AMCATS hosting the University of New England.
