Hosting cross-town rival, Endicott College in a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup, Gordon College Men's Basketball made it 13 in a row by defeating the Gulls, 72-71. The Scots improve to 14-1 overall and 6-0 in CCC play, while the Gulls fall to 10-5 overall and 3-3 in league action.
For the visitors, Keith Brown (Jr./Pelham, N.H.) had 21 points and 10 boards, while Joe Shehadi (Sr./Dorset, Vt.) and Nick Thibeault (Sr./Gorham, Maine) both dropped 16 points in the loss.
The Scots were led by Eric Demers who netted a game-high 22 points and 13 boards, while Garrisson Duvivier and Noah Szilagyi both scored 14 points, with Duvivier adding 10 rebounds in the victory.
The Scots and Gulls both continue CCC play this coming Saturday as Gordon hosts Roger Williams while the Gulls host Salve Regina both scheduled for a 3 p.m. tip-off.
How It Happened
- Thibeault made back to back layups as the Gulls marched off to a 7-0 lead two minutes into the game. That lead was short lived as Gordon caught fire, going on a 13-point run to take the 18-13 lead with 13 minutes remaining in the first.
- Gordon led by as many as 10 before the Gulls fought back into contention cutting the lead to two after a Brown three with two minutes remaining. The Scots netted a pair of shots to widen the gap, taking the 40-34 lead going into the half.
- The largest lead of the game came early in the second after Szilagyi hit a three to hold the 47-34 advantage.
- Endicott came clawing back as the Gulls outscored the Scots 11-3 in the closing minutes, but Gordon was strong on the defense end in the waning seconds to earn the 72-71 win.
Beyond The Box Score
- Eric Demers had a season-high 13 rebounds on the night.
- Tonight's win marked the third consecutive regular season victory against the Gulls.
- As said by Head Coach Tod Murphy: "What a gutsy performance by our team tonight. We had a little bit of an off night offensively, but managed to beat a very strong Endicott team with a very good defensive effort. This was another typical tightly fought Endicott/Gordon game that wasn't decided until the final shot of the game. This was a very important game for us to follow up our big win against Nichols with a victory over Endicott. I am really proud of our toughness tonight."