WENHAM, Mass.—Taylor Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.) tied a career-high with 19 points, but the Fighting Scots couldn't overcome a slow start against the 16th-ranked MIT Engineers in the season opener for both teams. MIT's Ryan Frankel (New York, N.Y.) and Justin Pedley (Kennewick, Wash.) dominated the second half of play for the Engineers, combining for 23 points in the final period to secure a 64-51 win over the Scots at the Bennett Center on Tuesday night.
The Fighting Scots (0-1) had an uphill battle against one of the most physically imposing starting lineups in the region. Despite missing preseason All-American Matt Redfield (Los Altos, Calif.), the Engineers still started a lineup of four guys 6'6" or taller. Gordon's matched size in the frontcourt, but the length of MIT on the wings made an immediate impact.
MIT (1-0) raced out to an early 11-4 lead thanks to a pair of triples by Tim Butala (Monroe, Conn.) and Pedley. Freshman point guard Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) countered with his own shot from deep to kick-start a 10-3 run which was capped off by a Bajema drive through the lane. The stretch allowed Gordon to tie the game midway through the first half and a defensive stop gave the Scots their first chance to take a lead.
The Engineers stopped the Scots from taking a lead in the first half and turned the missed Gordon opportunity into an 11-1 run of their own. A three-headed attack of Frankel, Pedley and center Andrew Acker (Merion Station, Pa.) was tough for the Fighting Scots to combat. When Acker didn't have a clean look in the paint, MIT found success kicking passes back outside for deep jumpers. MIT led 29-19 as the half wound down until Dominic Paradis (Rochester, N.H.) gave the Scots some life with a triple right before the break.
Gordon outrebounded the Engineers 16-15 in the first half, but a 10-point differential in shooting percentage allowed MIT to jump out to the halftime lead.
Bajema and Yang carried the Gordon offense in the early going of the second half. Gordon's senior captain, Bajema, capped off a 13-9 flurry in the first three minutes of the final stanza with a three-pointer at the top of the key. The deep shot pulled the Scots within three points, the closest margin since the game was 17-14 in MIT's favor.
MIT and Gordon matched each other punch for punch until the halfway point of the second half, when Pedley came alive from deep. The junior guard hit consecutive shots from far behind the three-point arch to deliver a crushing blow to Gordon's upset bid. The Fighting Scots were never able to recover over the final 10 minutes, as MIT maintained a double-digit lead for much of the remainder of the game.