WENHAM, Mass.—Gordon Men's Basketball fought off a game-tying buzzer beater by Eastern Nazarene at the end of regulation and took care of business in overtime to hand the Lions a 87-85 loss at the Bennett Center. Freshmen Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) and Noah Szilagyi (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) had monster games for the Scots, combining for 45 of Gordon's 87 points in the contest.
 
The Scots complete a perfect conference week and improve to 6-6 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Gordon is 9-10 overall. The Lions fall to 13-6 and 7-5 in the CCC.
 
Eastern Nazarene set the tone early of a fast-paced game by jumping out to an 11-1 advantage less than three minutes into the game. The veteran Lions took advantage of a greener Gordon lineup and capitalized on a host of costly turnovers by the Fighting Scots.
 
The 10-point advantage would be the largest for either team as Gordon chipped away at the Lions's lead slowly but surely. Duvivier landed an old-fashioned three-point play and Udoka Obiora (Boston, Mass.) finished a put back to get Gordon back in the game before the quarter mark of the first half.
 
The three ball had been unkind to the Scots coming into the ballgame after two weeks of minimal production from behind the line. Freshman guards Szilagyi and Jake Haar (Huntington Beach, Calif.) both hit one during a spurt that allowed the Scots to calm their nerves and tie that game at 17.
 
Eric Demers (W. Wareham, Mass.) hit a deep three to give Gordon its largest lead of the game at 26-23 with under eight minutes to play in the opening period, but the Lions outscored the Scots down the stretch to take a 36-34 lead into the halftime break.
 
Neither team could manage control in the early parts of the second half with the Lions clinging to a one-point lead with 11:12 to go. A three in transition by Christian Lynch (Alpharetta, Ga.) off a steal by Jaylen Owens (Johns Creek, Ga.) set off a series of possessions that ended with a 69-62 lead for the Lions with 3:56 to go.
 
Gordon would score the next 10 points of the game, with all but two of them coming from the charity stripe. Eastern Nazarene went cold on the other end of the floor and fell behind by three points with 11 ticks remaining on the clock. The Fighting Scots missed the second of two free throws and Owens went the length of the floor to make a running triple to send the game to overtime.
 
Momentum was hard to come by in the overtime period as each team answered each other on either end of the floor. Owens and Szilagyi traded four threes between them to put Gordon up by two with under two minutes in the period.
 
Owens put his team on his back in the final period and gave the Lions a one-point lead with 30 seconds remaining before Szilagyi answered again with a floater in the lane to put the Scots up one. With only seven seconds remaining, Eastern Nazarene set up a good play to get behind Gordon's full-court defense, but a missed layup all but ended the Lions chances in the closing seconds.
 
For the Foes

• Owens had an incredible game for the Lions with 29 points, five assists and four steals. The senior had eight points in the overtime period.
• Lequan Gomes (Fairfield, Calif.) fought off foul trouble to still put up 16 points and two steals in just 17 minutes.
• Christian Lynch had 10 points in the first half to lead all scorers and finished with 15 overall.

 
For the Scots

• Duvivier had his best game as a collegiate athlete with an eye-popping 27 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks and four steals in 32 minutes. He also made a season-high 11 free throws.
• Szilagyi scored 15 of his 18 after halftime, including the game winner in overtime.
• Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) had a lunch pail double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds. He also was a season best six for seven from the charity stripe.
• Gordon made seven threes after posting season lows in three consecutive games.
• Jake Hart (Allendale, N.J.) and Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) combined for seven assists to pace the Scots offense.

 
Quick Hits

• Gordon beat ENC at the Bennett Center for the first time since the 2012-13 season.
• The combined 45 points is the most for a freshman duo since Gordon became an NCAA institution in the late 1980's.