Late Run Pushes Gordon Past Men's Basketball

WENHAM, Mass. – Senior Eric Demers (Acushnet, Mass.) scored 20 of his game-high 32 points in the second half as the Gordon College men's basketball team (8-6, 3-3 Commonwealth Coast Conference) rallied past Wentworth Institute of Technology (11-5, 4-3), 81-77, in CCC action Wednesday night.|

THE BASICS:

LEADING SCORERS:  Kyle Henseler, 17; Stephen Azums, 16; Kevin Fernandez, 15; Trey Carrier, 12
LEADING REBOUNDER:  Stephen Azums, 11
ASSIST LEADERS:  Stephen Azums 6, Kevin Fernandez, 4

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Gordon raced out to a 7-0 lead with Demers scoring five of his team's first seven points. Wentworth used a jumper from senior Stephen Azums (Hyde Park, Mass.) and a three pointer from sophomore Kevin Fernandez (Lawrence, Mass.) to close the gap to a pair, however, the Fighting Scots pushed the lead back to seven with 16:06 remaining.
• Outscoring Gordon 14-2 over the next seven minutes, the Leopards took a 19-14 lead on a junior Trey Carrier (Wilton, N.H.) basket. During the run, Carrier had five points and junior Tyler Lennon (Atkinson, N.H.) added four. Gordon battled back and tied the game at 26-all on a three pointer from freshman Garrett Sattazahn (Morris, Conn.) with 4:24 left but an11-0 run gave the Black & Gold their largest lead of the half, with Carrier converting a three-point play to make it 37-26 with 33 seconds left. Sattazahn closed the half with a three, cutting the lead to eight (37-29) at the break.
• Wentworth opened the second half outscoring the hosts 23-11 and extended its lead to 20 (60-40) after junior Kyle Henseler (Coventry, R.I.) hit a three with 13:14 left in the second half. Gordon trimmed the lead to 12 on a pair of occasions, both times after Demers hit a three. The second time began a 13-0 run which gave the Fighting Scots a 68-67 lead with 6:17 remaining after Demers hit another shot from behind the arc.
• Lennon gave his team their first points in a span of 4:17 when he made a layup with 5:35 left, giving the Leopards a 69-68 lead, a lead which was extended to 71-68 when Fernandez converted a second-chance basket. However, Gordon scored eight straight points – five of which came from Demers – to take a 76-71 lead with 2:35 to play.
• Azums and Henseler pulled the Leopards to within one as they made back-to-back baskets in a span of 32 seconds. After the Fighting Scots missed a shot, Lennon grabbed a rebound with 1:19 remaining. Wentworth called a time out shortly after, however, Gordon caused a turnover and Sattazahn hit two free throws to make it a three-point game. A missed three pointer gave the hosts the ball back where senior Aljenrod Terry (Orlando, Fla.) hot two free throws to extend the lead to five with 13 seconds left. Azums made a layup at the other end of the floor before Demers hit one of two free throws to seal the win.
• Demers, who leads Division III in scoring, connected on 10-of-20 shots, including going 7-for-16 from behind the arc and grabbing 10 rebounds. Sattazahn chipped in with 23 points (on 8-for-13 shooting) to go along with three assists.
• Four players scored in double figures for the Leopards, led by Henseler who connected on 7-of-10 shots from the floor for 17 points. Azums recorded a double-double with 16 points (on 7-for-10 shooting) and 11 rebounds and also had six assists. Fernandez chipped in with 15 points, seven rebounds, and four assists, while Carrier scored 12 points. Wentworth shot 50 percent (33-for-66) from the floor and the Leopards' reserves outscored Gordon's, 42-18.

SERIES NOTES:

• Tonight marked the 61st all-time meeting between the two programs. Gordon holds a 39-22 lead and has won the last six meetings.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is at Endicott on Wednesday, January 22, for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against the Gulls.

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