Both teams were playing for the first time in three weeks and were looking to snap four-game losing streaks.It was the first meeting between the programs.
With Gordon (5-4) trailing 59-56 with 3:24 left, sophomore forward Mike Herr sandwiched two-point and three-point field goals around a bucket and free throw from Justin Kaufman to spark the 9-0 run which gave the Fighting Scots a six-point, 65-59 lead with 42 seconds left. On four critical possessions in that span, Eastern (3-6) turned the ball over twice and missed two three-point field goals.
Gordon limited Eastern to one field goal through the first 11 minutes of play and led by as many as ten points late in the first half. The Warriors eventually got untracked, ending the first half on a 10-2 run which gave them a two-point, 27-25 halftime lead. Eastern then scored the first five points of the second half and led by as many as eight in the early moments of the second half. The Warriors never trailed in the second half until Kaufman stole the ball and converted a conventional three-point play to give Gordon a one point, 60-59 lead with two minutes left.
Herr, who averages a team-leading 18 points per game, scored 14 of his team-high 16 points in the second half. After being held to two points on 1-for-7 shooting in the first half, Herr canned five of seven shots in the second half and also finished the night with a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman forward Jon Marstaller added 15 points and five rebounds for the Fighting Scots and junior guard Aaron Vogelzang 14 points. Both Vogelzang and Kaufman were 4-for-5 from the free-throw line, helping Gordon to outscore the Warriors by 13 points from the stripe. The Scots converted 18 of 23 free throws in the second half while Eastern was 4-for-6.
Eastern senior forward Jeroy Smith recorded his third double-double of the season, leading both teams in scoring and rebounding. He had a season-high 22 points (8-for-12 from the floor, 6-for-8 from the stripe) and ten rebounds. First-year junior guard Michael Stallings finished in double figures for the sixth time in his last seven games. In 37 minutes off the bench, he totaled 17 points, a season-high seven rebounds and four assists.
In the team's 10-2 burst over the final two minutes of the first half, Stallings sank a three-pointer and converted a conventional three-point play while Smith swished two free throws and senior guard Antwoine Key had a steal and bucket and set up Stallings with a pass on his three-point field goal.
Eastern visits Worcester State College Thursday at 7 p.m