Men's Basketball Clipped by Gordon on Senior Day

BOSTON, Mass. – A late rally in a back-and-forth affair lifted the Gordon Fighting Scots men's basketball team to an 89-85 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology Saturday afternoon in Conference of New England.

The Scots wrap their season with an 11-14 overall record and a 7-11 mark in CNE play. The Leopards, who will appear in their 19^th straight conference tournament this upcoming Tuesday, finish the regular season with a 9-16 record and an 8-10 mark in conference action.

Prior to tip-off, the Black & Gold honored seniors Jack Connell, Niko Rosich, Nathaniel Smith, and Tyler Stewart as part of Senior Day.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A Connell three gave the Leopards an early edge before Gordon rattled off five straight to take a 5-3 lead. From there, another three from Connell marked a 6-5 edge before a Bruce McGuire three gave the Scots an 8-6 lead. The two teams swapped scores until a Connell layup marked a draw at 16 aside.
• Five points from Sean Quanico lifted the Scots to a 23-17 lead before Wentworth rattled off an 8-0 run to take a 25-23 lead. A McGuire make would later tie the score at 27-all before a Connell layup dueling free throw makes for the Scots marked another tie at 31 aside. The two teams traded points the rest of the opening frame, with a layup by Bernie McGuinness at the buzzer giving the Scots a 37-35 lead.
• A Nathan Brinkman three gave the Leopards a one-point edge early in the second half before the two teams traded one-point deficits with one another, working the score to 42-41 in favor of the Leopards on a Stewart make. The Black & Gold ignited 5-0 run, featuring a Connell three, to take a 47-41 lead before Gordon later cut the deficit to one at 49-48 on a McGuinness three.
• Brinkman and McGuiness traded trifectas to a 53-52 edge for the Scots before Gordon carried a four-point lead to 56-52 and later 60-56. A three-point play by Russell Dolabany later gave the Leopards a 61-60 edge before a Quanico three following a Connell layup earlier on marked a tie at 65 aside.
• A Dolabany three gave Wentworth a 70-66 lead before a McGuinness three later on gave the Scots a 73-72 edge. Gordon later sprouted off an 8-2 run to extend their lead to 81-76 following two points from Stewart. A Dolabany three closed the gap and free throws from Connell gave the Leopards an 83-82 lead later on, but, Gordon finished the contest with a 6-3 run to hold on for an 89-85 win.
• Stewart dropped a game-high 28 points on 11-for-15 shooting and added nine rebounds, six assists, and two blocks. Connell followed with 26 points and four assists. McGuinness led three other Scots in double-figures with 22 points. Rosich notched a game-high four steals while Wentworth as a team shot 61.5 percent from the floor.

SERIES NOTES:

• Wentworth has won four of the last six matchups between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Sixth-seeded Wentworth travels to third-seeded Suffolk for the opening round of the CNE Tournament on Tuesday night (7:00 p.m.).

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