WENHAM, Mass. — Paced by sophomore Kristen Smith's (Littleton, Mass.) 12 points, which included six in the final quarter, the Gordon College women's basketball team picked up its first Commonwealth Coast Conference victory of the season with a 42-39 triumph over Wentworth Institute of Technology.
With the win the Fighting Scots improve to 5-17 overall and 1-14 in league play while the Leopards fall to 6-16 (2-13).
Leopard senior Carly Rogers (Scarborough, Maine) had a strong first half for the Black & Gold as she had 14 points over the first 20 minutes, including scoring six of Wentworth's first eight points. Wentworth's defense forced Gordon to shoot just 15.4 percent (2-for-13) from the floor in the first quarter and the Leopards held a 10-9 edge after the first 10 minutes of action.
Rogers quickly made it a 12-9 advantage when the Fighting Scots countered by scoring seven straight points, thanks to sophomore Sophie Linnell (Richmond, Va.) and freshman Sydney Pefanis (Cumming, Ga.), allowing the hosts to grab a 16-12 lead.
Wentworth came back to tie the score at 18-all with 1:34 remaining thanks to two free throws and a jumper from Rogers. Senior Mariel Barner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) gave Gordon a 20-18 lead at the break when she scored a second-chance basket just before the half ended.
Gordon opened the second half on a 10-3 run and took a 30-21 lead when Barner hit a three pointer with 5:07 to play. However, a 10-0 Leopard run, capped off by two free throws from senior Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) gave Wentworth a 31-30 lead with 2:38 left and two Camara free throws late in the quarter would give the Leopards a 33-32 lead after three quarters.
Senior Megan McLaughlin (Southington, Conn.) stretched the Leopard lead to three points on Wentworth's first possession when the Scots scored seven straight points and took a 39-35 lead with 6:36 left.
Wentworth closed the gap to one point on a layup by Rachael Camara (Fall River, Mass.) with just over three to go and had a chance to take the lead with seven seconds left but Gordon forced a turnover. With five seconds remaining Barner hit two free throws to make it a three-point advantage and a game-tying attempt from Rogers was just short as the buzzer sounded.
Linnell had 10 points and 11 rebounds for the Fighting Scots while Pefanis added nine points and three assists.
Rogers finished with 16 points, nine rebounds, and a pair of blocks. Camara added 10 points, four rebounds, and two steals.
Wentworth hosts Salve Regina on Saturday.
