WATERVILLE, Maine - Marcus Montagnino scored a game-high 35 points on a remarkable 15-for-18 effort from the field to lead the undefeated Endicott College Gulls to a 100-80 win over the University of Southern Maine Huskies in a non-conference men's basketball contest in the second game of the 2025 Colby College Tip Off Classic at the Margaret M. Crook Center.
Endicott used a strong second half to pull away from the Huskies for the win, and had four players scored in double-digits while shooting 60.7 percent (37-for-60) from the field as a team.
Led by a career-high 18 points from freshman
Carter Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Kents Hill/Oceanside) the Huskies had three players in double-figures scoring. Senior
Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) had 14 points and six rebounds, while rookie
Cohen Galley (Owls Head, Maine/Kents Hill/Oceanside) added 11 points and four rebounds.
Carter Galley was an outstanding 7-for-11 from the field in the game, including 3-for-4 from three-point range.
The Records:
Endicott (6-0)
Southern Maine (2-2)
Today's game marked just the third meeting between the two schools, and the first time that the Huskies have played Endicott since the 2016-2017 season. The Gulls lead the series 3-0.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Down by 14, 40-26, with just under five minutes to play in the first half, Southern Maine outscored the Gulls 18-8 to make it a two-possession game at the break, 48-44. Clicking offensively during the run, Southern Maine was 7-for-8 from the field during the final 4:22 of the half. Carter Galley was critical in the scoring burst netting 12 points.
- With its lead trimmed to four points, the Gulls answered and scored the first four points of the second half as part of a massive 20-4 run in the first six minutes to surge ahead 68-48 with 14:03 to play in the game. Endicott was red-hot from the field during the run, shooting 7-for-10, and going 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Elijah Kinney scored eight points in the run, while Caden Sullivan added six for the Gulls. Conversely, the Huskies started the second half going 1-for-10 from the floor.
- Facing a 20-point gap, Southern Maine bounced back over the next 4:33 doubling up the Gulls 16-8 to cut its deficit to a manageable 12 points, 76-64, with 9:00 to go in regulation. Galley again led the way with six points while graduate student Andrew Hartel (Cape Elizabeth, Maine/Kimball Union) added five points. However, the Gulls would respond scoring 11 unanswered points to extend their lead to 89-66 with 6:32 to go. Montagnino had six of his game-high 33 points in the run. From there, the Huskies were unable to close the gap and further.
Inside The Statistics:
- Southern Maine shot well, 29-for-68, from the field (42.6 percent) but could not keep pace with the Gulls who shot over 60 percent for the game.
- Endicott had a 36-23 lead in rebounding, but both teams only gave up three offensive boards.
- Led by the Galley twins, Southern Maine's bench scored 45 points, outscoring the Gulls' bench 45-25.
Up Next:
Southern Maine remains on the road and continue to compete in the Colby College Classic Tip Off Southern Maine will take on Suffolk University on Saturday (3:00 pm). USM remains on the road on Tuesday at Bates College (7:30 pm). The Huskies return to action at home against Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Sunday, November 30 (6:00 pm) for the Costello Cup.
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