SPRINGFIELD, Mass. –Three days removed from a frustrating loss at home to Wentworth, the Gordon Men's Basketball team pulled even in Commonwealth Coast Conference play by defeating Western New England 76-64 on the road. Alex Carnes (Phoenix, Ariz.) led Gordon in points and rebounds, as the Fighting Scots avenged a loss they suffered in Springfield a season ago.
 
The first 12 minutes of the opening half was nothing short of a dogfight, with neither team leading by more than three points. The lead was traded five times during that stretch and with 7:51 remaining in the first half, the Fighting Scots came out of the scrapheap with a 19-17 advantage.
 
Endicott transfer Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) played well in his second game with the Scots. Johnson scored seven points in a row at one point during the opening stanza, including a deep triple, to keep pace with the efficient Golden Bears' offense. The freshman finished with a season-high 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting.
 
Over the next six minutes Gordon built their one-possession lead into an 11-point stranglehold with 1:49 left until the two teams headed to the locker rooms. Luke Hamilton and Alex Carnes took over the game during the stretch, which included Hamilton's 2-for-3 shooting performance from behind the arc.
 
Senior point guard Nick DeFeo added a layup, but the Scots took a 37-28 lead into the break.
 
Western New England would get as close as six points early in the second half after a three-point play by DeFeo off a Gordon turnover with 12:43 remaining in the game. The Scots refused to let the Golden Bears take control of the game, going on an 11-3 run in four minutes of play to vault their lead to 14 points.
 
Once again the Golden Bears battled back to sneak within five points at 58-53 with 5:31 on the clock. The Fighting Scots countered with a 15-4 run of their own to put the game out of reach with less than two minutes remaining in regulation.
 
The Golden Bears hit on a couple of jumpers down the stretch, but Gordon's staunch defense secured the 12-point victory.  Western New England falls to 2-8 on the season and remains winless in conference play, while the Scots have now won four of their last seven contests.
 
WNE's Kevin Wilkes led all scorers with 16 points and he also corralled seven rebounds. Musa Elsir had an efficient game for the Golden Bears, hitting six of his 10 shots for 15 points. Dennis Rinaldi and Nick DeFeo also finished in double figures, but most of their damage came at the charity stripe. Gordon's suffocating defensive effort held Rinaldi and DeFeo to go a combine 7-for-27 from the floor, for a 26 percent shooting performance.
 
Carnes totaled 15 points and 10 rebounds, just a touch above his season average in both categories. Hans Miersma (Whitinsville, Mass.) put up 12 points and seven rebounds, while adding three more blocked shots to give him 38 through 10 games. His 3.8 blocks-per-game average is the third highest total across the Division III landscape.
 
Johnson and Park Thomas (Scottsdale, Ariz.) each finished with 11 points, while Hamilton poured in 10 points to round out the Scots' scoring leaders. Taylor Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.) and Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) each assisted five passes.
 
Gordon went a season-high 20-for-26 at the free throw line, while shooting 45 percent from the floor.
 
The Scots are back home on Thursday night for a CCC matchup with Curry beginning at 5:30 p.m.