WENHAM, Mass. – Sophomore Megan Foley (Malden, Mass.) led a quarter of Gordon College women's basketball players in double figures as she scored a game-high 31 points to go along with grabbing eight rebounds as the Fighting Scots outlasted Wentworth Institute of Technology, 74-68, in overtime Wednesday night at the Bennett Center.
With the win Gordon improves to 8-12 overall and 6-7 in Commonwealth Coast Conference play while the Leopards fall to 2-18 (1-12).
The first quarter saw four lead changes early, including when junior Brooke Dyson (Houston, Texas) hit two free throws to start an 8-0 run which turned a 5-4 deficit into a 12-5 lead after Foley made a layup with 2:38 remaining. Wentworth scored the last six points of the quarter, with four coming from senior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.), and trailed by just one (12-11).
A three-point play from sophomore Maya Spence (Georgetown, Mass.) gave the Leopards the lead back at 14-12, 22 seconds into the second quarter. A 6-0 Gordon spurt gave the hosts an 18-14 lead after senior Kristen Smith (Littleton, Mass.) converted a layup with 6:39 left in the half. Spence countered with a three pointer to trim the lead to one and started a 7-0 run which gave the Black & Gold a 21-18 lead on a freshman Molley Duclos (Greenfield, Mass.) basket. After junior Olivia Stark (Arvada, Colo.) hit one of two free throws with 2:51 remaining to make it 23-21, Wentworth scored nine of the final 13 points of the half and led, 32-25 at the break.
Senior Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) drained a three and freshman Erin Morton (Norway, Maine) hit a layup to give Wentworth a 12-point lead (37-25) with just over eight minutes left in the third quarter. A pair of Sabino free throws gave the Leopards their largest lead of the night (50-37) with 1:48 remaining, a mark that was matched after a basket by Spence 17 seconds later. Foley converted a layup with 18 ticks left to make it an 11-point game (52-41) after three quarters.
Gordon opened the fourth quarter on a 16-3 run and took a 57-55 lead on one of two free throws from junior Jess Ryan (Milford, N.H.). Wentworth regained the lead on a three from Spence, and, after a layup from Gibbs gave Gordon a 59-58 lead, Sabino countered with a jumper to give the Leopards a 60-59 edge with 1:26 left in regulation. With 18 seconds left, Gibbs hit one of two free throws to even the score, and, off the miss, Ryan grabbed the rebound. After a timeout, the Fighting Scots committed a turnover just as the clock expired.
Foley opened overtime by hitting a three, which was followed by one of two free throws from Dyson to give Gordon a 64-60 lead. Wentworth got its first points of the extra session on a layup from Morton with 2:08 left and pulled within one (64-63) when Morton hit a free throw25 seconds later. A Gordon turnover led to a pair of missed free throws by the Leopards and the Fighting Scots made eight-of-eight free throws down the stretch to pull away with the win.
Dyson recorded a double-double for Gordon as she scored 12 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Gibbs also had a double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while Ryan had 10 points, seven rebounds, and three assists.
Sabino had a team-high 20 points, who also had a 14-point performance from Spence. Morton finished with nine points, nine rebounds, and five assists, while McCormick scored nine points and grabbed seven rebounds.
Wentworth hosts Roger Williams on Saturday afternoon.
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