WENHAM, Mass. – Sophomore Brooke Dyson (Houston, Texas) and freshman Meghan Foley (Malden, Mass.) each scored 15 points as the Gordon College women's basketball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 68-57, in a Commonwealth Coast Conference contest played at the Bennett Center.
With the win the Fighting Scots snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 6-10 overall and 4-5 in league play. The Leopards fall to 2-14 (0-9).
Both teams battled back and forth in the opening quarter with Gordon taking a 10-6 lead after a three pointer from freshman Alisha Henderson (Oregon City, Ore.). Wentworth came back to score nine of the next 14 points and took a 15-13 lead on a sophomore Baylor Johnson (Greer, S.C.) jumper with just over two minutes left. On the next possession junior Kristen Smith (Littleton, Mass.) made a layup to even the score at 15 and one of two free throws from senior Kellie Messer (Hollis, N.H.) gave Wentworth a 16-15 lead after one quarter.
The second quarter featured four ties and three lead changes as neither team would lead by more than three points. With 54 seconds left in the half freshman Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.) hit a jumper which tied the game at 27-all at the break.
Junior Haley Sabino (Topsfield, Mass.) scored the first points of the half for Wentworth which took a 31-29 lead. After a pair of Gordon free throws, McGibbon hit a three to make it 34-31. Seven straight Fighting Scot points gave the hosts a 38-34 lead with 5:24 left however a Messer jumper and Sabino free throw trimmed the lead to one.
Foley and Johnson traded points and Foley then started a 6-1 run to end the quarter which gave Gordon a 46-40 lead at the end of three quarters.
The Fighting Scots broke the game open with a 12-2 run and took a 58-42 lead on a Foley jumper with 5:27 remaining. Wentworth used a 10-2 run to attempt a comeback and trailed by eight (60-52) after two Messer free throws with three minutes left. A jumper from Sabino with 42 seconds left cut the lead to seven but Gordon hit four free throws down the stretch to clinch the win.
In addition to Dyson and Foley scoring 15 points, Smith had 11 points and seven rebounds.
Sabino had a career-high 23 points for the Leopards to go along with nine rebounds. Messer and McGibbon added 11 points apiece. Messer also had six rebounds and McGibbon had five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of steals.
Wentworth hosts Nichols on Saturday.
