Beverly, Mass. – The North Shore Collegiate Tip-Off Tournament came down to a familiar matchup between The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) rivals Endicott College and Gordon College as the Fighting Scots upset the Gulls 88-74 on their home court Saturday.
The Gordon offense relied upon accurate three-point shooting and a quality overall performance by sophomore forward David Dempsey (Wallingford, Conn.) to win the four-team tournament. The Gulls struggled in the first half, falling behind 47-28 at halftime before mounting a comeback that trimmed the Fighting Scots lead to eight but no came closer.
Dempsey was a presence on the court, scoring 25 points on 9-of-19 from the floor and 6-of-9 from the free throw line. The sophomore grabbed 15 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, and dished out a game-high six assists. He also was a factor defensively with three steals. For his efforts, Dempsey was named Tournament MVP.
Gulls junior forward Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) scored 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, including two three-pointers, as one of Endicott's offensive leaders. Freshman Bennett Knowlton (Shrewsbury, Mass.) netted a team-high 17 points and was effective from long range, hitting 3-of-8 attempts. Both Karkow and Knowlton defended well as the duo combined for three blocks and three steals. They were each honored on the All-Tournament Team.
In the first half of the game, Gordon established a quick lead that was stretched to as large as 22 points in the first 10 minutes. The Fighting Scots shot 45.9% from the floor which included 7-of-13 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Austin Bentson (Branchville, N.J.) scored nine of his 14 points on 3-of-5 three-point shooting while the Gulls faltered in the same range, hitting only one attempt in six tries.
Endicott came out of the gate in the second half on a 7-0 run that featured five points by Knowlton and free throws by sophomore Lance Green (Dorchester, Mass.). Green had a strong second half with eight points of his 14 points.
The Gulls defense swarmed the Gordon backcourt and was successful in creating eight turnovers and grabbing six steals. Gordon, however, was efficient with their shooting as the Fighting Scots had field goal percentage of 50.0%.
Endicott was able to outscore Gordon 46-41 in the second half, but their comeback fell short and the Fighting Scots took the early season victory.
Gordon's Luke Hamilton (Mount Airy, N.C.) earned a spot on the All-Tournament team with 15 points by hitting 5-of-7 shots from the floor including 3-of-4 from long range.
Endicott returns to action on December 2nd at 7:00 pm against Wheelock College at MacDonald Gymnasium. Gordon hosts Salem State University on November 23rd at 8:00 pm.