WORCESTER, Mass. – After leading 35-34 at the half, the Worcester State University men's basketball team suffered a 17-point second half deficit to the visiting Gordon Fighting Scots, falling 77-61 in a Thursday evening non-conference matchup inside the Lancer Gymnasium.
The Lancers got off to a quick start when they jumped ahead 7-0 in the first two minutes of play on buckets from Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.), Jamal Mustapha (Worcester, Mass.), and Corey Gatta (Sturbridge, Mass.). The Lancers kept their lead until the Fighting Scots took it with 10:16 remaining in the first after an 8-0 run on points from Garrisson Duvivier (Brockton, Mass.), Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.), and Noah Szilagyi (Highlands Ranch, Calif.). The Fighting Scots saw their largest lead of the half with 2:31 remaining on a triple from Dylan Marshall (Purcellville, Va.). Despite Gordon's six-point lead, Worcester State responded with a seven point run with 1:22 remaining in the first to close out the half with a 35-34 edge.
The second half saw seven lead changes and four ties, however, the Fighting Scots came through with a 17-4 run with five minutes remaining in the game to close the deal. In that final five minutes, Gordon made 10-of-10 free throws to propel their lead.
Gordon College shot 84.6 percent from the stripe throughout the entirety of the game.
Gordon's Duvivier led all scoring and rebounds with 20 points and 13 boards. He also tallied a game-high four assists and three steals in the contest. Szilagyi and Sam Johnson (Mount Laurel, N.J.) tallied 12 and 10 points, respectively, while Graham Tienhaara (Holden, Mass.) chipped in eight.
For the Lancers, Mustapha registered a team-high 16 points, while Brooks and Gatta notched 15 and 12 points, respectively. Brooks led the team with seven board and four blocks.
Next up, Worcester State (0-8) hosts Salve Regina in another non-conference matchup on Saturday (Dec. 10) with a 1 p.m. tipoff. The Fighting Scots also resume play then when they host Daniel Webster in a 3 p.m. matchup.