Box Score DUDLEY, Mass. – The Gordon Fighting Scots Men's Basketball team performed magnificent rally in the second half after digging a 15-point hole in the first, but fell just short in the closing seconds. The Bison made their free throws down the stretch to notch a 78-72 win in Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) action Saturday afternoon at the Nichols Athletic Center.
The Bison did not record a field goal over the final 7:34 of the contest as they scored their final 20 points from the free throw line to move to 5-3 on the season and 2-0 in conference play. Senior captain Ryan Sheehan (North Attleboro, Mass.) rattled in 12-of-13 from the charity stripe and finished with a team-high 23 points.
Junior Hans Miersma (Whittinsville, Mass.) led four Fighting Scots (2-5, 1-1 CCC) in double-figures with 16 points to go along with 13 boards, three blocks and three steals. Senior Park Thomas (Scottsdale, Ariz.) and junior Taylor Bajema (Whittinsville, Mass.) each netted 14 points while senior Alex Carnes (Phoenix, Ariz.) filled the stat sheet with 12 points, nine rebounds, and three assists.
Nichols sophomore Christian Horton (Rutland, Mass.) scored the final Nichols field goal of the afternoon to give Nichols an eight-point lead at 58-50. The leads never dipped below four as Sheehan made 11-of-12 from the line down the stretch while Horton went 3-for-6, junior Matt Langadas (Sebago, Maine) went 3-for-4, seniorSam Horning (Falmouth, Maine) went 2-for-2, and sophomore Gustave Koumare (Harlem, N.Y.) – who finished with 10 points – was 1-of-2.
"We're playing great basketball right now," said Nichols second-year head coach Jeff Lindgren. "Our guys believe in our coaching staff and believe we can accomplish our goals. They truly believe in one another. We're getting contributions from everyone, which bodes well for us heading into the new year."
The Bison led by as many as 16 in the first half following a three-pointer from junior Marlon Bennett (Stratford, Conn.) with 10:58 to go. Gordon climbed to within six on Carnes' layup with 5:58 on the clock, but five-straight points from Horning pushed it back to 11. A three from sophomore Chris Johnson (Mansfield, Mass.) and a layup by junior Joe Gallant (Salem, N.H.) helped the Bison take a 42-27 lead to the locker room.
Nichols outrebounded the Fighting Scots 38-36 and shot 72 percent from the line. Gallant racked up eight points, eight rebounds, five blocks, four assists, and one steal before leaving the game due to injury.
The Fighting Scots end their 2013 schedule when they host Lesley December 14 at 3 p.m at the Bennett Center.
Release courtesy of Nichols Sports Information
