DUDLEY, Mass.—Nichols did not need any last-second heroics to beat Gordon the second time through the schedule, as the Bison used an offensive blitz over the final 10 minutes to hand the Scots their worst loss of the year, 104-85. The Bison shot 55-percent from the floor and held the Scots down from behind the arch to take the season series between the two teams.
Nichols, winners of six straight over the Fighting Scots, improves to 14-5 this season and 9-3 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. The win gives them a shot at ending the day tied for first place in the conference depending on the result of the Endicott-Roger Williams game. Gordon falls for just the fourth time in conference at 8-4 and an 11-8 record for the year overall.
Much like they have for a majority of their conference schedule, Gordon jumped out to an early lead. A 7-7 game broke open into an 18-9 advantage for the Fighting Scots as Nichols struggled to contain Gordon's inside attack of Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) and Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.). Sporting one of the best offenses in the country, Nichols could not be held down for long and the Bison responded with a 14-4 run over a four-minute stretch to take its first lead since 2-0.
Gordon was not able to reclaim the lead, but remained with a possession or two for the next six minutes thanks to the outside shooting of Noah Szilagyi (Highlands Ranch, Colo.). With 1:19 to go in the first half, Johnson capitalized on an and-one opportunity to draw the game to 38-37, but Devin Stallings (Waterbury, Conn.) hit a three just a few moments later to spark an 8-0 run in the final minute. Turnovers and missed key chances played a big part in the last-minute run to break open the game.
After Stallings hit another deep ball at the beginning of the second half, Gordon slowly chipped away and never allowed the Bison out of its sights. The Fighting Scots looked to get the break they needed with a 7-0 run to make it a 59-58 game, capped off by two made free throws off of a technical foul on the Bison bench. Gordon had its first opportunity to take the lead since the first half, but could not convert and allowed the Bison to counter back with a six to nothing run of their own.
The game never teetered back in Gordon's favor as the Bison found an answer to everything the Fighting Scots threw at them over the final 10 minutes. Fewer than three minutes following the technical, Nichols had turned a one-point lead into a 14-point advantage to effectively put the game in firm control for the home side.
Nichols continued to shoot lights out in the closing minutes—8-for-11 from deep in the second half alone—pushing the score even further after the Scots had taken out their starting five.
Gordon shot well despite the loss, at nearly 48 percent from the floor for the entire game. Duvivier led the Fighting Scots with 20 points, 14 coming in the second half. He also finished with seven boards, three assists and two blocks. Jake Hart (Allendale, N.J.) kept up his quietly solid string of performances with 12 points and five rebounds. Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) and Szilagyi both finished with 10 points. Yang also had a team-high five assists, while Johnson finished a point short of a double-double (nine points, 14 rebounds).
Sophomore sharpshooter Jake Haar (Huntington Beach, Calif.) saw his crazy streak of 50-percent or better performances from three-point range come to an end at 10 games—2-for-8 from deep.
DeAnte Bruton had an incredible game with 30 points, Marcos Echevarria (Lynn, Mass.) put up 22 points with eight assists and four steals. The Bison were outrebounded by Gordon, 45-31.
Gordon will look to get back on track with a two-game home stand next week. The Fighting Scots host Curry on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. before a rivalry matchup with Endicott at the Bennett Center next Saturday at 3 p.m.
