Box Score DAYTONA BEACH, Fla.—The Gordon Women's Basketball squad improved to .500 on the season by holding on for a 52-48 win over Penn State-Behrend in their opener at the Land of Magic Classic on Saturday evening. The Scots survived a late rally by the Lions in the closing minute and Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) iced the game with 20 seconds remaining with a pair of free throws to send Gordon to their second consecutive win.
It took a few minutes for the Scots to shake off the two-week holiday break, as the Lions held Gordon scoreless until the 11:42 mark in the first half. Penn State Behrend built up a 7-0 lead after a Brianna Bayly triple, but the Scots quickly countered with a seven-point run of their own.
Olivia Vetere (Mahopac, N.Y.) scored Gordon's first bucket of the game on a mid-range jumper before Clancey Adams (Simsbury, Conn.) hit a three-pointer to cut the Lions' lead to two. Freshman Fredi Nielsen (Bridgeport, Conn.) tied the game with 9:48 to play in the first half with a runner in the lane—kicking off her outstanding performance from the field.
Kratche and Nielsen combined for all of the Scots next 10 points—outscoring their opponents by five in the process—to open up a 17-12 lead with three minutes to play in the first period. PSU-Behrend tied the game two minutes later, but Nielsen gave Gordon a 19-17 lead heading into the halftime break with a final-minute layup.
Gordon (4-4) built up a seven-point lead early in the second half and held onto the advantage with just over six minutes to play in regulation. The Lions mounted a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the second half at 41-38 with just three minutes remaining in the game.
Not to be dismayed, the Scots responded with an 11-0 run of their own highlighted by six points off the hands of Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.)—who finished with 11 points for the game.
Gordon led 49-41 with under a minute to play, but the Lions made things interesting in the closing minute. PSU-Behrend forced two Gordon turnovers and pulled within a point at 49-48 before Kratche nailed two free throws with eight seconds remaining to stop the Lions' last-ditch effort.
Kratche led all scorers with 17 points, while also adding eight boards and two steals. Defending CCC Rookie of the Week Nielsen contributed her second straight double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds in the victory. Vetere had five steals and five points off the bench.
The Scots have another late start tomorrow night when they match up with No. 19-ranked Bowdoin at 8 p.m. in their final game in Florida.
