Box Score
WENHAM, Mass. – The Gordon-Endicott rivalry has seen plenty of thrilling finishes over the year and Wednesday evening was no different. The Fighting Scots survived a bombardment of jumpers, including a fractionally missed three-pointer at the buzzer to hold on to a 68-66 win over the visiting Gulls in the Commonwealth Coast Conference opener at home.
 
The two teams entered the game with opposite results during their non-conference slate. The Scots were victims of three last-minute rallies and they limped into the important early-season matchup with Endicott at 1-4. The Gulls on the other hand had finished off four of their five opponents with strong shooting performances.
 
For Gordon, a big win in front of the home crowd would go a long way in establishing the confidence that made them the preseason favorite in the CCC.
 
The Scots looked like they would run away with things early on, as they set up shop from the outside. Eight of the first nine shots taken by the Scots were all outside the three-point arch and they hit on four of them to take a 12-7 lead five minutes into the first half.
 
Luke Hamilton (Mount Airy, N.C.) hit his first two triples and added three more points after Greg Jacques (Brockton, Mass.) clipped his foot on another deep attempt. Hamilton almost buried the shot anyway for a four-point play, but the attempt rimmed out, forcing Hamilton to make three free throws.
 
The Gulls closed the Scots' lead to 16-12 eight minutes into the half, while a few Gordon starters struggled to stay out of foul trouble.
 
Sophomore Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) and freshman Dominic Lauture (Portland, Maine) were forced into extended duty at the point guard position for the first time this season and the two young players performed admirably in Park Thomas' stead. Lauture scored five points, including a very deep three, on back-to-back possessions to give the Scots a 21-12 lead as the two teams approached the midway point of the half.
 
An 11-0 run was capped off by two dominant possession by junior center Hans Miersma (Whitinsville, Mass.). Miersma had an emphatic dunk over Andre Makris (Southbury, Conn.) off of a feed from Dominic Paradis (Rochester, N.H.) and then converted a three-point play on the next possession to give the Scots a 26-12 lead at the 10:45 mark.
 
Little by little the Gulls began to chip away at the Scots hefty lead until they found themselves only two points down at 38-36 with 1:42 to play in the half. Jacques launched a full-court press on the Scots and forced them into several mental mistakes, which led to 14 first-half points—six of them at the charity stripe.
 
The Gulls had two opportunities to claim their first lead since the game's opening moments, but John Henault (Lunenburg, Mass.) could not convert a three. Henault was Endicott's leading scorer heading into the game at nearly 20 points per game, but Hamilton had a hand in his face all night. Henault finished scoreless from the field for the first time in 2013.
 
The Scots held a 40-36 advantage at halftime, but that lead was quickly erased in the opening minute of the second half. Endicott forced two Gordon turnovers and scored six straight points to take their first lead in nearly 20 minutes of play.
 
Hamilton's third triple of the game regained the lead for Gordon and started them on a 13-4 run to put a bit of distance between the teams. Endicott would once again go on a run over the next seven minutes and the Gulls tied the game with five minutes to play on a three by Makris.
 
The schools traded buckets over the next three minutes, but the game was once again tied at 66 with two minutes and change to play. Henault had another opportunity to put the Gulls ahead with only a minute to play, but his elbow jumper clanked off the front iron.
 
On the next Endicott possession, Jacques lost control of the ball as he was making his way into the lane. Thomas (Phoenix, Ariz.) corralled the loose ball and beat a defender on the other end with a layup off the high glass to give Gordon a 68-66 lead.
 
The Scots would never have another offensive possession. Miersma blocked two shots in the closing seconds, but the Gulls got both rebounds to retain possession. After the second block by the Scots' big man, Endicott called a timeout to set up their last shot for the tie or even a win.
 
Endicott could not have dreamed of a better opportunity, as Makris found himself wide open at the extended elbow on the right side for a three-ball. The shot looked perfect off the fingertips, but his attempt was just off the front iron as the buzzer sounded.
 
Jacques led all scorers with 21 points and he added four steals in 22 minutes. Makris and Daquan Sampson finished with 12 points apiece. The story for the Gulls was Henault's 0-for-13 shooting performance, as the junior guard's previous low point total was 16 points against Lesley two weeks ago. He finished with three points at the free-throw line.
 
Thomas and Hamilton led Gordon in scoring with 15 points apiece. Thomas also led the Scots in assists (5) and rebounds (7) to continue his well-rounded outings. Miersma had his lowest point total of the year with eight points, but he added seven board and a season-high five blocks to pace a Scots' defense which held the Gulls under 30% shooting.
The Scots travel to Nichols on Saturday for a noon tip-off against the Bison, who improved to 1-0 in conference play with a statement victory over Roger Williams on Wednesday. Endicott matches up with Eastern Nazarene in their conference home opener on the same date.