Posted: Feb 23, 2010
WENHAM, Mass. – The top-seeded Gordon College men’s basketball team rolled to a 73-52 win over local rival Endicott before a packed house in the Bennett Center on Tuesday evening in Wenham, Mass. The win was the 18th in 19 games for the Fighting Scots and they will move on to face Colby-Sawyer in The Commonwealth Coast Conference semifinals on Thursday night. Endicott concludes its season with a 12-13 mark.
It was the third matchup of the year between the cross-town foes, with the previous two games going down to the wire with the visiting team coming away with the victory. This playoff matchup, however, didn’t live up to the billing a the Fighting Scots opened up a 29-point lead before coasting to victory.
Tuesday’s tilt started out close as both teams struggled to get their offenses clicking. \#Aaron Karkow\# (Uncasville, Conn.) drilled a 3-pointer just seven seconds into the game to give the Gulls an early lead.
The contest was tied at 10-10 after eight minutes, and Endicott took a 12-10 lead on a jumper by \#Mike Rhodes\# (Amston, Conn.) at the 11:41 mark of the first half. It proved to be the final lead of the game for Endicott. The Scots went on a 7-0 run courtesy of a 3-pointer by J.T. Himmelstein (Glendale, Ariz.), and layups from Aaron Trigg (Overland Park, Kan.), and David Dempsey (Wallingford, Conn.). Leading 17-12, Gordon continued to pressure the Endicott offense, all while gaining consistent trips to the foul line. A late 3-pointer out of the corner from Aaron Trigg put the Scots' on top 33-21 going into the break. Gordon shot 52% in the first half while holding the Gulls to a 32% clip.
Any hopes of an Endicott rally were quickly squelched in the second half. Trigg (game high 16 points) scored seven points in the first 4:12 of the second stanza to stretch the Scots' lead to 42-27. Over a 13-minute period between 17:35 to 4:39, Gordon went on a 28-9 run, taking total command of the game. The rout was highlighted by a breakaway dunk from senior forward Jeff Derr (Barrington, Ill.).
The Scots put four scorers in double-figures, as Trigg and Brady Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.) scored 16 and 14, respectively. Dempsey came off the bench to add 13 points and Greg Walker finished with 12. Bajema led the way with five assists and enjoyed an 11-of-12 performance from the free-throw line.
Endicott, who failed to place a scorer in double-digits, were paced by \#Bobby Montrond\# (Brockton, Mass.) and \#Mike Rhodes\#’ (Amston, Conn.) nine points apiece.
The Scots will return to action on Thursday when they host the tournament's fourth-seed, Colby-Sawyer College, at 7:00 p.m. in semifinal play. Wentworth will host Curry in the other semifinal, and the two winners will meet Saturday at the site of the highest remaining seed.
- Release courtesy of Gordon Sports Information
