WENHAM, Mass.—Worcester State used big runs at the end of each half to steal a 93-89 win over Gordon College at the Bennett Center on Saturday afternoon. The two teams entered into the New Year with a frantic back-and-forth battle, but the Lancers were able to put together a 10-3 run over the final two minutes to take the victory.
Junior center, Paul Brooks (Arlington, Mass.) met the Worcester State all-time record for blocks in a single game with eight – this is his second time matching this record.
The Lancers used a highly efficient attack in the first half by using their quickness to open space for their shooters. Gordon was unable to slow down the Lancers for much of the afternoon, which included falling into a 9-2 deficit out of the chute. Worcester State shook up its offense from possession to possession to keep the Fighting Scots off balance and it worked at the start.
Trailing by as many as seven in the early going, Gordon's long ball was a saving grace for most of the day. The Scots erased the disadvantage in only a two-minute span as Noah Szilagyi (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) came off the bench to hit three consecutive attempts from behind the arch. The freshman's third make of the first half gave Gordon its first lead at 24-21 with just over 10 minutes to play in the period.
The Lancers' Brooks and Bilal Shakir (Worcester, Mass.) were the stars of the offense in the first half, combining for 25 points on 12-of-16 shooting. The defining moment for the juniors came over the final three minutes of the opening period when they led the Lancers to a 7-0 run after Gordon had taken its largest lead of five.
Gordon could not manage a bucket in the final three minutes of the half.
Worcester State continued its run in the second half and eventually grabbed its largest advantage of the game at 69-61 with 10 minutes to go in regulation. However, Gordon rallied the troops once again with the hot hand of Szilagyi leading the way. Guard Jaren Yang (San Francisco, Calif.) capped off a 14-6 run with a kick-out three at the 7:01 mark in the second half.
The two teams traded small leads over the next few minutes when and were tied at 83 with 3:30 remaining. Szilagyi hit another open three with 2:38 on an assist from Yang to put the Scots up 86-83. However, Worcester State scored the next seven points over a two-minute span as Brooks started to pile up the blocks on defense.
Yang made things interesting with a transition three to make it a 90-89 game with 22 ticks left on the clock. After a pair of Lancer free throws, Gordon had two chances to tie the game at 92, but both fell just short and Worcester State iced the game with a final shot at the line.
Shakir led all players with 20 points and six assists. He also had a game-high three steals. Brooks was quieter on offense in the second half, but had seven of his eight deflections in the final period. He finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and a Worcester State single-game record with eight blocks.
Marquez McKreith-Collins (Springfield, Mass.) and Alex Santos (Lawrence, Mass.) carried the Lancers offense in the second half. Santos, a freshman, had 17 of his 19 points in the second half, including four makes behind the arch and matched his season high. McKreith-Collins 17 points was his best output since the season opener at Clark.
Gordon drops its second straight game and falls to a season low two games below .500 at 4-6. Worcester State wins its fourth game in a row and is now 8-5 entering MASCAC play this week.
Release Courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information