WENHAM, Mass. – Senior John-Michael Fragnoli (Schenectady, N.Y.) recorded his second straight double-double, scoring 15 points and grabbing 10 rebounds as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team won its second straight contest with a 55-50 win over Gordon in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at the Bennett Center.
With the win the Leopards improve to 8-10 overall and climb above .500 in CCC play with a 6-5 mark while the Fighting Scots fall to 7-10 (4-6).
Both teams' offense struggled in the early going, combining for just 14 points through the first eight-plus minutes as Fighting Scot freshman Dylan Marshall (Purcellville, Va.) hit a 3-pointer that gave the hosts a 9-5 lead. Wentworth scored the next four points with Fragnoli and classmate Nico Donato (Glastonbury, Conn.) tying the score at 9-all with 9:00 left in the half.
Fragnoli gave the Leopards a 12-11 lead with 4:48 left after a layup, however an 8-1 run by Gordon gave the Fighting Scots a 19-13 lead after sophomore Domenic Paradis (Rochester, N.H.) hit a three with 2:53 left. Wentworth countered with a 3-pointer from freshman Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) to cut the deficit in half but Gordon took a 23-16 lead into the locker room.
Wentworth opened the second half on an 8-0 run and took a 24-23 lead on a Fragnoli basket with 17:04 to play. The Leopards eventually built their lead to seven after Ganley knocked down another three with 7:54 remianing.
Five of six Gordon free throws cut the lead to a pair with just under six minutes remaining, however Wentworth responded with a 7-2 run – capped off by a junior Ian Therriault (Auburn, Maine) trifecta – and led, 43-36, with 4:25 to play. With 2:49 remaining Fragnoli gave the visitors a 47-39 lead, but Gordon responded with five straight points to make it a 47-44 with 1:31 left.
A layup from Ganley and a free throw from freshman Cesar Fulcar (Watertown, Mass.) gave the Leopards a 50-44 lead with 1:02 left. Freshman Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) hit a three to make it a 50-47 contest with 53 ticks left.
Senior Hans Miersma (Whitinsville, Mass.) would hit one of two free throws to cut the lead to two with 25 seconds left before freshman Ben Kizel (Short Hills, N.J.) would hit one of two from the line to make it a 51-48 game.
With 16 seconds left, Yang hit a jumper to pull Gordon within one, however Kizel hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to make it a 53-50 game. Yang attempted to tie it with a three, however it fell short with five seconds left. Therriault grabbed the rebound and was fouled. He would hit both free throws to seal the win.
In addition to his double-double, Fragnoli also had three steals, Ganley came off the bench to score 13 points, while Therriault added eight points and nine rebounds. Fulcar finished with a game-high four assists.
Yang led all scorers with 18 points while Miersma led all rebounders with 15.
Both teams continue CCC play on Saturday as Wentworth hosts Salve Regina and Gordon is at Endicott.
