WENHAM, Mass. – Sophomore Tyler Stewart (East Taunton, Mass.) posted a double-double with a career-high 27 points to go along with 12 rebounds, pacing three student-athletes in double figures as the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team picked up an 89-78 win over Gordon in Commonwealth Coast Conference play Thursday night.
Outscoring the Fighting Scots by a 54-40 margin in the second half, the Leopards shot 62.1 percent (18-for-29) from the floor over the final 20 minutes to erase a halftime deficit.
RECORDS:
Wentworth (6-5, 2-3 CCC)
Gordon (6-6, 2-3 CCC)
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE:
WENTWORTH LEADING SCORERS: Tyler Stewart, 27; Jack Connell, 22; Jack Schaake, 12
WENTWORTH LEADING REBOUNDERS: Stewart, 12; Schaake, 9
WENTWORTH ASSIST LEADERS: Stewart, 5, Connell, 4; Schaake, 3; Sam Swift, 3
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- A tightly contested start to the game saw seven lead changes in the first 5:30 with senior Sam Swift (Arlington, Mass.) hit a three to give Wentworth a 10-9 lead. The Leopards took a 16-11 lead on a Stewart tip-in with 12:32 left before Gordon scored the next seven points, taking an 18-16 lead on a freshman Rob Shelansky (East Hartford, Conn.) layup.
- Senior Conor Rubenskas (Bridgewater, Mass.) hit a three and followed with a layup and freshman Russell Dolabany (Westwood, Mass.) made a jumper, pushing the Leopards ahead, 23-18 just under the midway part of the opening frame. The Black & Gold extended their lead to 28-20, 1:10 later on a layup from senior Jack Schaake (Hampton, N.H.). Using a 10-0 run, the Fighting Scots responded to take a 30-28 lead after a senior Garrett Sattazahn (Morris, Conn.) three pointer.
- Gordon extended its lead to 36-31 on a three from freshman Ryan Tertel (Tucson, Ariz.) three with 2:09 left and held a five-point lead (38-33) with 1:30 left. Stewart hit two free throws with 30 seconds left to make it 38-35 at the break.
- Swift opened the second half with a three, starting a 7-2 run which gave Wentworth a 42-40 lead. Four straight free throws from Sattazahn gave the hosts a two-point edge but the Black & Gold responded with a 9-0 run, taking a 51-44 lead after Stewart hit a pair of free throws. The Leopards pushed their lead to nine (60-51) on a freshman Nathan Brinkman (Trumbull, Conn.) three with 12:08 left before the Fighting Scots closed the gap to 68-63 with 6:19 left on a senior Justin Yu (North Brunswick, N.J.) three.
- A 10-3 run, capped off by Connell, gave Wentworth its first double-digit lead of the night (78-66) with 3:50 remaining and Connell made a layup with 1:35 left to give the Black & gold their largest lead of the night (84-71).
- Stewart finished the night 10-13 from the floor and also had five assists. Connell had 22 points and four rebounds, while Schaake had 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists. The Leopards had a 44-33 rebounding advantage and turned 15 offensive rebounds into 21 second-chance points.
SERIES NOTES:
- Tonight marked the 65th all-time meeting between the two teams. Wentworth holds a 42-23 series lead. The Leopards won at Gordon for the first time in the last six meetings.
NEXT UP:
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.
