WENHAM, Mass. — Senior Kyle Romich's (Groton, Mass.) jumper with 4.9 seconds remaining snapped a 67-67 tie and lifted the Wentworth Institute of Technology men's basketball team to a 69-67 win over Gordon in Commonwealth Coast Conference action Wednesday night.
With the win the Leopards snap a two-game losing streak am improve to 12-10 overall and 10-5 in league play. The Fighting Scots fall to 11-11 (8-7). Wentworth has now won five straight against Gordon, including sweeping the season series for the season straight year.
Wentworth cane out of the gate flying and would lead by as many as 13 when sophomore Jason Ganley (Northbridge, Mass.) made a layup with 6:25 left in the first half.
The Leopards led by 11 (34-23) with 3:12 left in the half when Gordon began to make a run. A freshman Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.) dunk began a stretch of 11 straight Fighting Scot points which would tie the score at 34-all at the break.
In the second half both teams traded baskets in the opening stages as there were seven lead changes in the first seven minutes. Sophomore Sam Knollmeyer (Hampton, N.H.) hit back-to-back threes as part of an 8-0 run and gave the visitors a 55-46 lead with 11:23 remaining. However, Gordon scored nine straight to tie the game at 55 and eventually took the lead on a Sam Johnson (Chatham, Mass.) layup with 6:03 to go.
Gordon held a four-point lead with three and a half minutes remaining on the clock, however the Black & Gold received a layup from Ganley and a three from junior Dan DeVaux (Wethersfield, Conn.) in a span of 30 seconds put Wentworth ahead, 67-66.
Senior Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) made the front end of two free throws to tie the game at 67 with 26 seconds left, but Romich answered on the other end to put the Leopards ahead for good. A game-winning shot attempt by the hosts was off the mark as time expired.
Ganley and Romich had 17 points apiece with Ganley connecting on 7-of-11 shots from the floor and Romich hitting 7-of-14. Romich also grabbed 10 rebounds. Sophomore Cesar Fulcar (Watertown, Mass.) had five assists in a winning effort
Duvivier led all scorers with 24 points while sophomore Jarren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) had 12 points. Johnson added 10 points and 11 rebounds. Gordon had a 42-33 rebounding edge.
Wentworth hosts Salve Regina on Saturday.
