WENHAM, Mass. - Third-seeded Curry College battled top-seeded Gordon College to the final seconds, before falling 56-54 in The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Championship Game. The Fighting Scots won their first-ever TCCC title and earned the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

A game that featured 10 lead changes was not decided until the final seconds. Trailing 56-52 with under 15 seconds to play, Curry rebounded a Gordon shot and Philippe Jourdain (Cambridge, MA) scored on a layup and was fouled with 6.8 seconds to play.  His ensuing miss deflected off a Gordon player, leaving Curry with an inbounds play with 3.6 seconds remaining in the game, and a chance to tie or win the game with a basket. Tim MacDonnell got a piece of Jourdain's inbound pass, and managed to flip it down the court, allowing time to run out and Gordon to escape with the victory. 

The contest was tense throughout, as Curry served notice from the beginning that they would prove a tougher opponent than Gordon's previous playoff foes. Utilizing strong inside play from 6'8" forward Rodney Bennett (Mattapan, MA), the Colonels jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in the game's opening moments. Gordon drew even at the 11:38 mark with a 3-pointer from Aaron Trigg. However, both teams played rugged defense in the first half, as the Colonels featured an active 2-3 zone, and Gordon their familiar man-to-man. Bennett scored nine points and grabbed six rebounds in the first half, but Gordon's Ben Gaskill helped offset that output with six points and seven rebounds of his own. A layup by Gaskill with 12 seconds left in the half put Gordon up 25-24 heading into the break.

Curry took a 37-33 lead at the 14:55 mark after consecutive jumpers from Jourdain and Jarrell Jackson (Brockton, MA).  Over the next six minutes, the Fighting Scots went on a 14-2 run, sparked by the play of their bench, as Jeff Derr, David Dempsey, and Tim MacDonnell all drained shots during the spurt. 

The TCCC first-team backcourt of Jackson and Mark Mastrullo (Billerica, MA) did not allow Gordon to pull away. The duo combined to score 11 of Curry's next 13 points, pulling to within 54-50 with 1:25 to play. On the ensuing Gordon possession, Aaron Trigg came up with perhaps the game's critical shot, as he drove the lane and connected on an off-balance jumper, putting Gordon up 56-50 with 59 ticks on the clock. 

Jackson answered back with a difficult jumper of his own, to pull Curry within 56-52 with 41 seconds remaining. Down by four, the Colonels elected not to foul. Greg Walker missed a baseline jumper with the shot clock running down, and Jourdain struck quickly, pulling Curry to within two, and setting the stage for the dramatic final moments.

Brady Bajema led Gordon with 12 points, including a 4-for-4 performance from the free-throw line. Aaron Trigg and David Dempsey both scored 10, and Ben Gaskill added nine points and a game-high 12 rebounds.

Curry had four scorers in double figures, led by Jourdain with 16, and Mastrullo, Jackson and Bennett with 11 apiece. Gordon shot only 39% compared to the visitors' 47%, but enjoyed a 36-29 edge on the backboards.

With the victory, Gordon improves to 24-4. The Scots have now won 20 of their last 21. Curry falls to 15-13 and awaits a possible ECAC Division III New England Tournament bid. (Game recap courtesy of Gordon College Sports Information)

Box Score/Play-By-Play