Box Score SPRINGFIELD, Mass.--Seniors Nick DeFeo poured in a game-high 21 points and Ryan Mickiewicz added 19 for Western New England, but the Golden Bears' huge comeback attempt fell shy in a 69-60 Commonwealth Coast Conference men's basketball loss to visiting Endicott on Senior Day at the Alumni Healthful Living Center on Saturday. The Golden Bears end the regular season with a 7-17 record and 5-13 in the CCC, while the Gulls finish up at 17-8 overall and 11-7.

Western New England senior Dennis Rinaldi (9 points) added a game-best 14 rebounds--twice as many as any other player on the floor. DeFeo chipped in three steals, junior Musa Elsir contributed six assists against zero turnovers, and sophomore Zack Askew had eight points and five rebounds.

Kamahl Walker led a balanced Endicott offense with 20 points off the bench on 6-of-11 field goal shooting, including three 3-pointers, and also led the Gulls with seven rebounds. Andre Makris added 16 points and six rebounds, John Henault made 14 points and Lachlan Magee, 10.

Endicott jumped out to a 6-0 lead on a pair of Magee jumpers. Western New England responded with an 8-2 run, bookended by a pair of DeFeo treys--to knot it 8-8 at the 17:29 mark of the first half.

But Makris hit a jumper to put Endicott ahead for good. The first half ended with Walker draining a long 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Gulls went into the locker room in command, 40-27.

Endicott made 23 of 45 field goals for 51.1 percent (7-for-11 3-pointers, .636) while holding WNE to a .322 field goal percentage (19-59). The Golden Bears did shoot well from the perimeter, making 6 of 13 treys for 46.2 percent.

In the second half, the Gulls built as much as a 20-point cushion, 53-33 at 14:06 and 64-44 at 6:10 to go. The Golden Bears, though, didn't go away and went on a 16-3 run over a 5-minute, 5-second span to pull within 67-60 with just over a minute remaining. Mickiewicz keyed the comeback attempt with two 3-pointers and DeFeo scored five points.

The Endicott bench outscored the WNE reserves, 29-9.

The Western New England senior class of Kevin Wilkes, Mickiewicz and Rinaldi was honored in a pregame ceremony. The trio was each given a plaque that showed an individual action shot and noted their contributions to the program. DeFeo plans to return next season as a graduate student with another year of athletic eligibility.

Western New England will be the eighth seed in the upcoming CCC Tournament and will play top-seeded Nichols in the quarterfinals. Endicott will tangle with Salve Regina in a 4/5 matchup as both teams had 11-7 conference marks.