Box Score
WENHAM, Mass.—A last-minute rally finished just short, as visiting Eastern Nazarene spoiled Gordon's Senior Day festivities with a 63-57 win over the Fighting Scots. Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) scored 17 of her 22 points in the second half and the Scots nearly erased the Lions early double-digit lead, but ENC survived with made free throws down the stretch.
Gordon pulled out of the gates feeding off of the buzz of the Senior Day crowd and jumped to a quick 4-0 advantage on jumpers by Skylar Bareford (Stonington, Conn.) and Lauren Kranyak (Locust Grove, Va.). ENC's Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) kickstarted the Lions' offense by sparking an 11-2 run with seven points of her own.
The Lions led by a possession for a majority of the first half until Greer and Ruby Leon (Fairfield, Calif.) combined for seven consecutive points to give ENC at 23-16 lead with five minutes remaining in the first half.
Gordon and Eastern Nazarene traded buckets the rest of the way, as the Lions marched into halftime with an eight-point lead. Greer was a difference-maker in the first half with 15 points, while no other Lions' player made more than one shot from the field in the period.
The Fighting Scots struggled to find their stroke in the early going, making only six of their 27 first-half shots, while the Lions hovered close to 40-percent shooting for a good portion of the half.
ENC extended their lead to double digits in the second half and led 57-40 with five minutes to play in the final period when the Scots finally made a significant run. Down to their last moments of the season, Gordon left everything they had on the floor in the close minutes to make things interesting.
Olivia Vetere (Mahopac, N.Y.) and Kratche made back-to-back layups to cut the lead to 13 points, before Mariel Barner (Colorado Springs, Colo.) drained a deep three on the right wing for a 57-47 ENC advantage. The Scots forced turnovers on the Lions next two possessions, which led directly to points on the other end. Vetere took a steal all the way to the basket before Kratche converted on a basket plus the foul opportunity only 20 seconds later—trimming the lead to only five.
A made free throw for Eastern Nazarene stopped a 12-0 run spanning over three minutes, but Kratche made another jumped in transition to make it a 58-54 game with less than two minutes on the clock.
The Lions converted on five of their final six free-throw attempts to cut off Gordon's bid at a furious rally.
Greer only added four points in the second half, but finished with a team-high 19 points. The sophomore standout also had nine rebounds, two steals and a block in 28 minutes. After a slow start, point guard Leon finished with 14 points and four assists. Lauren Hevy also had a nice game with eight points and eight rebounds. The Lions outrebounded Gordon 46-36.
Kratche's stellar second-half effort gave her a sixth double-double to close her junior season. In her final game as a Fighting Scot, Kranayk had an efficient game with 15 points and seven rebounds. Barner and Vetere added eight points apiece.
The Scots say goodbye to seniors Kranyak, Clancey Adams (Simsbury, Conn.) and Bareford, all of whom were significant contributors to the program during their careers.
