Box Score
WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon Women's Basketball fell just short of an upset bid against CCC favorite UNE. The Scots fended off an early deficit and took a lead into halftime, but Gordon foul trouble allowed the Nor'easters to rally for a 64-51 victory in conference play.
The Nor'easters played the first few minutes of the game as if they were the heavy favorite by riding the hot hand of leading scorer Kelly Coleman. Despite falling in an early 6-0 hole, the Scots refused to back down from a fight. Gordon clawed their way back to tie the game at eight and eventually took their first lead of the game at 12-11 with 9:43 remaining in the first half.
Clancey Adams (Simsbury, Conn.) hit a pair of threes from the wing during the run and Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) was a force on the inside despite UNE's not-so-subtle height advantage in the post. After UNE regained the lead at 16-15, the Scots countered with a 7-0 run to formulate a big lead—capped off by an energy-boosting three-point play by Kratche.
The Scots led by as many as seven points after a Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) triple, but the Nor'easters were able to cut to lead to four points at the break. For only the second time in conference play, UNE trailed at halftime, 27-23. Kratche had 10 points in the first half to lead the Scots.
Gordon's talented junior, Kratche, picked up her fourth foul early in the second half and the Scots' offense sputtered without her presence on the floor. Once Fredi Nielsen (Bridgeport, Conn.) headed to the bench with her fourth foul, the Scots were unable to combat the height of the Nor'easters' low post. Nielsen and Kratche were limited to two combined points and 11 minutes in the second half, which gave the chance to penetrate the key.
Coleman took over the game for the Nor'easters, scoring exactly half of her team's 64 points and 21 of them in the second half. The hard-nosed junior from Portland, Conn., worked the lane for UNE and chipped away at Gordon's defense, which had worked so well in the first half.
Bareford had a stellar second half for the Scots—playing the full 20 minutes due to fouls—with 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, including three made triples. However, a 16-0 UNE run that spanned six minutes ended up as the difference in the Nor'easters' 64-51 victory over the Scots.
Coleman finished with 32 points and 11 rebounds, along with four steals. Alanna Vose was the only other UNE player to score at least 10 points. UNE finished with 29 attempted free throws, while the Scots only went to the line six times.
Bareford led the Scots with 14 points, while Mariel Barner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) and Kratche each finished with 10 points. Kratche did not attempt a shot in the second half, while being limited to four minutes. Nielsen finished with only four points, but her 11 rebounds was a big reason for Gordon's success at minimalizing the impact of two-time CCC freshman Alicia Brown.
The Scots fall to 5-9 on the year and 1-6 in conference play, but they look to turn things around on Saturday at Eastern Nazarene beginning at 1 p.m.
