(Portions Courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information)
WENHAM, Mass. – Gordon took control early and held the lead the rest of the way, defeating visiting Wentworth Institute of Technology 57-49 in the opening game of The Commonwealth Coast Conference play for both schools.
The Scots put a trio of players in double figures as seniors Aaron Trigg (Overland Park, Kan.) and Jeff Derr (Barrington, Ill.) led all scorers with 12 points, while junior Greg Walker (Uxbridge, Mass.) added 10. Wentworth was led by sophomore Adam Dombrowski (Groton, Mass.) with 11points, while senior forward Shane West (Saco, Maine) and sophomore guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) added nine apiece.
After the visiting Leopards jumped out to a quick 11-6 lead, Gordon responded with a 14-0 run. The Scots tied the game at the 12:20 mark of the first half after Derr sank a three pointer. Gordon held Wentworth scoreless for almost seven minutes during the run, and moved ahead 20-11 on a freshman David Dempsey (Wallingford, Conn.) free throw.
Gordon would take a 34-21 lead into the break, shooting 56.5 percent (13-for-23) in the first half, while Wentworth shot just 28.6 (8-for-28) from the field.
The Fighting Scots opened up their lead early in the second half when Trigg hit a corner jump shot and followed up with a steal. Senior Ben Gaskill (Columbus, Ohio) finished the sequence with a dunk, putting the Scots up by 17.
The game was a defensive struggle the rest of the way and Gordon held a 14-point lead with 45 seconds to play, but Wentworth was able to cut the deficit to eight to close out the game. Both teams struggled shooting after the break, as Gordon shot just 7-for-20 (35.0 percent) from the floor and Wentworth shot 30.3 percent (10-for-33).
The Scots, winners of four straight, improve to 8-3. Gordon will continue conference play on Tuesday when the Fighting Scots travel to Anna Maria. Wentworth falls to 4-7 with the loss and will host Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday.
