Dec. 4, 2008
BEVERLY, Mass. - Gordon College's Aaron Trigg (Overland Park, Kan.) broke a tie game in overtime with a desperation three-pointer in the far corner with the shot clock expiring, as the Fighting Scots outlasted Endicott College, 67-66, in a thrilling non-conference match-up in Beverly, Massachusetts on Thursday night. With the win, Gordon moves its unbeaten record to 6-0, while Endicott dips to 4-3.
Justin Martin (Cromwell, Conn.) got the game started with a two-handed flush off a nice entry pass from senior Ross Stewart (Palm Harbor, Fla.) just 41 seconds into the contest to give the Gulls the first bucket of the night. It would take almost six minutes for either team to register another point, as Gordon broke the scoreless drought with a three-ball from Brady Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.). The Fighting Scots would take a slight four point lead into the intermission as Trigg registered his first points of the night on a scoop shot from the free-throw line to beat the buzzer, giving the visitors a 20-16 lead at the half.
Ross Stewart found his hot hand during the break as he opened the second half with a trio of treys, giving the hosts a 31-29 lead with 14:01 left in regulation. Endicott would extend its lead to 37-29 as Graham Whitelaw (Kennebunk, Maine) connected on back-to-back attempts from behind the arc, the second coming off a nifty skip pass by Mike Rhodes (Amston, Conn.).
The Fighting Scots responded with a run of their own, sprinting past the Gulls with a 14-3 charge that spanned 5:14. Austin Bentson (Branchville, N.J.) hit a key three-ball during the run, while Greg Walker (Uxbridge, Mass.) had two points in the paint and knocked down a pull-up jumper to aid to the rally.
The visitors capitalized on a crucial Endicott mistake with 5:46 left in regulation. The Gulls missed a wide-open lay-up, as the ball rimmed out and rolled out of bounds. The ensuing inbounds pass found an unguarded Brady Bajema in transition, with the junior guard burying a three-pointer to extend the Gordon lead to six.
The Blue and Green refused to go quietly, however, as Endicott continued to dial it from behind the arc. Following an Endicott timeout, freshman Aaron Karkow (Uncasville, Conn.) stuck a deep-three with a hand in his face to make it 48-45. Ross Stewart then made it a two point game as he stole a hand off between Trigg and Bajema near half court and raced the distance, laying in two on the other end.
Aaron Trigg responded with a successful jumper with just 38 seconds left in the half, making it 50-47. The Gulls then countered as they found Graham Whitelaw cutting to the hoop for an improbable three-point play, as he took the ball to the rim and picked up the and-one. Gordon's Timothy MacDonnell (Jericho, Vt.) had a chance to win it in regulation as he lofted a floating jumper with one second left, however his shot hit the front of the rim to send the game into overtime.
The bonus session, unlike the halves that preceded it, featured high-tempo offense with a combined 33 points scored in the five minute period. The Gulls would lead by as many as three, with the advantage coming on a back-door bounce pass from Karkow to Stewart for a nice lay-in. Gordon would battle back to take a two point lead with 1:07 left in OT, as Aaron Trigg picked up the hoop and the foul to make it 62-60. Graham Whitelaw fired back with two of his own, knotting the game at 62-all.
Despite the back-and-forth nature of the overtime, Aaron Trigg saved the best for last. The ensuing possession featured a lengthy defensive stand by the Gulls, eventually forcing the Gordon junior guard into the far corner with just six ticks left on the shot clock. Trigg put the ball on the floor, spun to his right, and knocked down a desperation and improbable three just as the shot clock expired, giving the visitors a 65-62 edge.
As they did all night, Endicott charged back to answer the bell. The Gulls' offense found Graham Whitelaw at the top of the arc, and the reigning TCCC and ECAC Player of the Week did not disappoint as he connected on what appeared to be a game-tying three-pointer with five seconds remaining. After a brief discussion between the officials, Whitelaw was ruled to have had a foot on the line, reversing the original call to just a two point field goal.
The Gulls fouled on the inbounds, sending Jeff Derr (Barrington, Ill.) to the line where he hit both of his attempts, making it 67-64, Scots. Gordon head coach Michael Schauer opted to foul Bobby Montrond (Brockton, Mass.) with the three-point lead, where the junior guard knocked down his first attempt. Montrond, attempting to miss the second, inadvertently connected on the backend to make it 67-66. Against the clock, Endicott was unable to foul before time expired, giving Gordon a hard-fought road win.
Gordon was led by Trigg's game-high 24 points, 22 of which came in the second half and overtime. Greg Walker had 14 points and eight rebounds while Derr finished the night with 12 points and nine boards.
Endicott was paced by Ross Stewart's breakout 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The Endicott captain also hit five three-pointers in the setback. Graham Whitelaw had 21 points while Aaron Karkow had five points and three blocks for the Gulls.
Gordon was 20-of-29 from the free-throw line, this compared to Endicott's 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. The Fighting Scots also out-rebounded the Gulls 44-30, and held a 12-5 advantage in second chance points. Endicott continued its knack for shot-blocking, registering eight on the night.
The one point Gordon win is the second in as many years for the Fighting Scots over the Gulls. The last five match-ups between the two teams have been decided by a combined 16 points.
Endicott looks to rebound on Saturday afternoon as it travels to Worcester, Mass. to meet non-conference Clark University at 1:00 p.m. Gordon puts its unbeaten record on the line Saturday evening as the Fighting Scots host North Shore rival Salem State at 7:00 p.m.
