WENHAM, Mass. — The visiting Curry Colonels pulled out a neck-and-neck game against host Gordon, 49-44. The Fighting Scots led by two at halftime and stayed within two possessions late into the second half, but a last-minute rally fell just short on Saturday at the Bennett Center.
Gordon made the conscience decision to play a defensive-minded game against the third-ranked team in the Commonwealth Coast Conference, Curry. The Colonels handed Gordon a 28-point loss in Milton just a few weeks ago, but Gordon's athleticism helped balance out Curry's length and depth in the second meeting.
Curry leading scorer Kylie Beltz (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) was limited in the first half by good defense and foul trouble, committing three in the first period. After scoring a couple of buckets in the early going, Gordon senior Brooke Kratche (Chagrin Falls, Ohio) was able to stay in front of her mark.
Both teams struggled to hold onto the ball, with Gordon turning it over 14 times and Curry finishing with 10 turnovers.
The Colonels held a late 23-22 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the first half when Olivia Vetere (Mahopac, N.Y.) found herself wide open on a broken offensive play. Vetere drained the three from left corner as the shot clock expired, giving Gordon a 25-23 lead at the break.
Gordon opened its largest lead of the game at 31-27 with 13:16 remaining on a mid-range jumper by freshman Kristen Smith (Littleton, Mass.). Just two minutes later, Curry battled back to knot the game at 33 a side on a kick-out three from Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.).
After Smith put the Scots back up by two on the next possession, Curry rattled off eight-straight points to take a six-point advantage. Offensive rebounding was a huge part of the Colonels' success during the run, allowing them to score three times off second-chance opportunities.
Gordon would cut the lead down to two points with four minutes to go, but Curry managed to stop the run there and hold on for the five-point victory.
Beltz and Jeanette Fallon (Nashua, N.H.) each totaled 12 points on the afternoon, while Shannon Griffith (West Hartford, Conn.) put up 10. Samantha Corcoran (Hampton, N.H.) was the leading rebounder for the Colonels with 10, while also stealing three balls. Freshman Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) played a defensive presence with three steals and two blocks.
Vetere and Smith tied for the Gordon lead with 12 points in long minutes. Sophie Linnell (Richmond, Va.) had another balance game of nine points, eight rebounds and two steals. Kratche had a team-high four steals, but only managed six points.
Curry improves to 13-8 on the season and 10-4 in the Commonwealth Coast Conference. Gordon drops to 3-18 (1-13 CCC) and hopes to rebound on Wednesday when UNE comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. tip. (Recap courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information)
