Men’s Basketball Returns to Win Column at Gordon, 111-99

WENHAM, Mass. – Suffolk men's basketball bounced back quite nicely as four different Rams provided double figures in an 111-99 Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) win over Gordon Thursday night at the Bennett Center. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 111 | Gordon 99
RECORDS: Suffolk (9-2, 4-1 CCC) | Gordon (4-5, 1-3 CCC) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
The first three minutes foreshadowed an entertaining first frame as the lead switched four times. Keenan Robertson's hoop put the blue-and-gold in front and jump started a 7-0 Rams run to give the visitors a 13-7 edge 2:50 into the action, which forced Gordon into an early timeout.  

Out of the huddle, the Fighting Scots fought back and leveled the playing field for the first of what would be five times in the first 20 minutes at 15-all at the 15:24 minute mark. 

The lead would flip eight more times over the final 15 minutes with the final exchange coming when William Rowe's layup put Suffolk ahead 38-3. The Rams clung to the advantage over the final six-plus minutes even when the Fighting Scots evened things up at 47-all with 2:27 left on the clock before the break.  

A triple from Devin Dzikas ignited an 8-2 Rams rally that pushed the gap to six, but Michael Makiej sunk a trey for Gordon to trim the margin down to three, 55-52, as the teams headed into the locker rooms.  

It was all blue-and-gold out of the break as Nate Hale sandwiched hoops around a Rowe bucket. Suffolk's upperclassmen pushed the visitor's advantage to double figures for the first time in the outing, 62-52, and déjà vu happened as Gordon used a timeout within the first three minutes of action again.   

Suffolk would build a 14-point gap until the Fighting Scots charged back with an 11-3 stretch to make it a two-possession game, 78-72, at the midway point of the second half. The lead shrank to as few as four with just under nine minutes left on the board.  

Hale's hot hands got a Suffolk scoring frenzy going. The graduate student's pull-up jumper just inside the free throw line was the first of four unanswered hoops from the Rams that restored a distance of a dozen, 88-76, at the 7:10 minute mark.  

The Rams kept the Fighting Scots at an arm's length the rest of the way. The hosts managed to pull within nine, twice, with the last coming with just over three minutes remaining in regulation. 

The blue-and-gold managed to convert defense into offense to eclipse the 100-point mark. Down the stretch, the Rams took care of business at the charity stripe when Gordon gambled with the foul game to take the conference victory away from the Fighting Scots.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Hale had a game-high 36 points behind a 12-for-18 showing from the floor, which included a 7-for-10 showing from downtown and a near perfect 5-for-6 effort from the line. He added three dimes, two boards and two steals and one block. 
• Rowe registered 20 points and 12 rebounds to go along with five handouts. 
• John Gates supplied 14 points, two assists, two takeaways and one carom. 
• Aidan Sullivan recorded 13 points, 10 assists, and two steals.
• Dzikas chipped in eight points, three helpers, two caroms and one steal in 11 minutes off the bench. 
• Suffolk shot 60.3 percent (44-73) from the field, 50.0 percent (16-32) from behind-the-arc and 70.0 percent (7-10) from the free throw line. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Fighting Scots, 32-29.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk defeated Gordon for the second straight meeting to move to 12-7 in the all-time series. 
• The Rams are 2-1 when playing the Fighting Scots under Jeff Juron's guidance. 
• Suffolk is 5-0 when playing Gordon on the road. 
• The Rams scored 100 or more points against Gordon for the second time in the all-time series, first since a 107-95 victory in the first-ever meeting Jan. 30, 1968. 
• The 111 points scored against the Fighting Scots are the most in the all-time series. 
• Suffolk has eclipsed the 100-point mark for the third time this season. That marks the most 100-point games in a single campaign since having four games with 100 points or more in the 1984-85 season. 
• Hale reset a personal-best in points (36) and 3-point field goals (7). 
• Rowe recorded his second double-double of the season, fifth of his career. 
• Sullivan notched his first collegiate double-double. 
• Sullivan handed out a career-high 10 assists. 
• Dzikas grabbed a career-best three boards.  

POST-GAME PIC
 

COMING UP
Suffolk's weekend plans have been postponed. The Rams scheduled for next week may change, but the blue-and-gold is set to take on Curry in a midweek matchup Wednesday, Jan. 12 at 7:30 p.m.