Men’s Basketball Gets by Gordon, 91-69

WENHAM, Mass. – Three different Rams – Evan Cook, Keenan Robertson and Danny Yardemian – scored 20 points to power Suffolk men's basketball to a Commonwealth Coast Conference opening win over Gordon, 91-69, Wednesday night at the Bennett Center.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 91 | Gordon 69
RECORDS: Suffolk (4-1, 1-0 CCC) | Gordon (1-5, 0-1 CCC)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk built a 17-8 lead in the first five minutes. Cook  and Devin Dzikas supplied six points to the cause each. The former came off points inside the arc, while the later buried a pair of buckets behind-the-arc.  

The Fighting Scots fought back with seven unanswered points to cut the Rams lead down to two, 17-15, at the 13:24 mark.  

Back-and-forth action saw Suffolk cling to the advantage, 28-27, before Jeff Juron used a 30-second timeout.  

Out of the huddle, the score leveled three times and the lead flipped twice with the last coming in the blue-and-gold's favor on a Robertson hoop. The junior's lay-up sparked an 11-1 Rams rally that sent Suffolk up double figures, 45-35, with 2:34 left before the intermission.   

Gordon got the distance down to single digits, 45-38, thanks to Bryce Smith's triple that ended the opening half. 

Suffolk restored its double figure distance on its first possession out of the locker room and went up by 13, 55-42, to force the Fighting Scots into a timeout. 

Gordon outscored the blue-and-gold 11-2 to cut the gap down to four, 57-53, with 13:38 remaining in regulation.  

Yardemian sparked a 9-0 Suffolk stretch that restored the 13-point margin, 66-53, at the 9:18 mark of the second stanza.  

Hoop-for-hoop action limited either team from making a run down the stretch and Suffolk managed to walk away with the conference-opening 91-69 victory.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Cook contributed a game-high 23 points on a 9-for-13 effort from the floor that included a 3-for-4 performance from downtown. The graduate student added three caroms, two assists and two steals. 
• Both Robertson and Yardemian finished with 20 points. 
• Robertson shot 7-for-10 on the night, including a 2-for-4 showing from 3-point land, and did not miss (4-4) at the free throw line. He pulled down four boards, had four takeaways, three assists and one swat. 
• Yardemian put together a 7-for-15 effort from the field and a 3-for-7 performance from behind-the-arc. He dished out six dimes to go along with four caroms and one takeaway. 
• Suffolk shot 50.0 percent (35-70) from the floor, 37.5 percent (12-32) from deep and went 9-for-11 (81.8%) at the line. 
• The Rams held an edge on the glass, 38-35. 
• Gordon capitalized on Suffolk's 11 turnovers, turning them into 21 points.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk started its CCC calendar in the win column for the second time in program history, first since 2021. 
• The Rams are now 2-1 in the first CCC game of the season. 
• The Rams remain unbeaten, 2-0, in its first CCC contest of the season on the road. 
• The blue-and-gold clashed with the Fighting Scots in the first CCC outing of the season for the first time. 
• The Rams moved to 15-10 in their first league contest of the year; 12-9 in the GNAC, 2-1 in the CCC. 
• Suffolk started its conference calendar on the road for the first time since 2021. 
• The blue-and-gold is now 5-3 in its league debut under Juron's guidance. 
• Suffolk improved to 16-7 all-time against the Fighting Scots. 
• The Rams have won six in a row versus Gordon. 
• As the away time, the Rams remain undefeated, 7-0. 
• The Rams are now 6-1 versus Gordon in the Juron era. 
• Yardemian notched a career-high in points (20), field goals made (7), field goals attempted (15), 3-point field goals made (3), 3-point field goals attempted (7) and assists (6). 
• Cook tallied a personal-best in field goals made (9) and matched a career-high in 3-point field goals made (3) and assists (2). 
• Nick Verdile logged a career-high in points (8), field goals made (3), field goals attempted (6), 3-point field goals made (2), 3-point field goals attempted (5) and steals (1). 
• Cem Uner matched a personal-best in points (2) and field goals made (1).
• Declan Davis made his collegiate debut. 

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is set to host Roger Williams at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court Saturday, Dec. 2 at 3:00 p.m.