WENHAM, Mass. – Junior Mariel Barner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and senior Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) each scored 14 points to help the Gordon College women's basketball team defeat Wentworth Institute of Technology, 52-39, in Commonwealth Coast Conference action at the Bennett Center.
With the win the Fighting Scots notch their first league win of the season (1-9) and improve to 3-14 overall while the Leopards see their record fall to 4-14 (2-9).
Gordon scored the first four points of the game before Wentworth rattled off five straight to take a 5-4 lead after a junior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) free throw. The Fighting Scots responded with an 11-0 run and took a 15-5 lead after a freshman Kristen Smith (Littleton, Mass.) basket.
After freshman Riselly Deoleo (Manchester, N.H.) temporarily halted the run with a basket with 11:00 left, the hosts scored four of the next six points, capped off by a Kratche basket with 6:53 remaining to give Gordon a 21-9 lead.
Freshman Courtney McCormick (Hanson, Mass.) and Rogers hit a layup and free throw, respectively, to make it a 21-12 game with 3:17 left, however neither team would score for the remainder of the half.
Kratche pushed the lead back to double figures to open the second half, however junior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.), Deoleo, and sophomore Kellie Messer (Hollis, N.H.) scored consecutive baskets to cut the deficit to five.
Gordon scored four straight points to push the lead to nine, however Rogers made a pair of jumpers and hit two free throws and freshman Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) converted a three-point play in a 9-2 run and cut the lead to two (29-27) with 10:10 left.
Out of a Leopard time out, Barner hit consecutive threes to make it an eight-point game before a basket by Deoleo and a 3-pointer from Camara cut the lead back to three with 8:18 left.
A 15-3 Gordon run – capped off by a Kratche basket – broke the game open as it pushed the Fighting Scots' lead to 15 with 3:28 remaining.
In addition to Barner and Kratche scoring 14 apiece, Smith scored 10 points. Freshman Sophie Linnell (Richmond, Va.) grabbed 14 rebounds, and junior Olivia Vetere (Mahopac, N.Y.) had eight assists and seven rebounds.
Rogers notched her eighth double-double of the season as she scored 13 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Deoleo tallied eight points and seven assists, Camara scored seven points, grabbed five rebounds, and had three steals, and Sabino added six points.
Both teams continue CCC play on Saturday as Wentworth hosts Salve Regina and Gordon is at Endicott.
