Men's Basketball 1/20/2015 9:26:00 PM

Gordon takes CCC contest over Men’s Basketball

Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – Gordon College snapped a three-game skid with a 66-61 victory over the Roger Williams University Men's Basketball team Tuesday evening in Commonwealth Coast Conference action.

In the process of the win, Gordon senior Hans Miersma (Whitinsville, Mass.) tallied his 1,000th career point. The 6-9 forward scored the bucket at the 17:10 mark on a short hook shot in front of the rim off of an offensive rebound.

Roger Williams gave the Fighting Scots a fit on the defensive end, forcing 15 first-half turnovers and notching 17 points off of the takeaways. Hawk senior guard Ryan Palumbo (Warwick, R.I.) was a major disrupting force for Gordon throughout the period, notching seven steals in the period to set a new career high.

The Hawks got a major momentum boost with 2:23 to play in the first half. Palumbo poked away the ball and sent the pass upcourt to a streaking Jaylen Jennings (Norwalk, Conn.) to slammed in a two-handed jam to put RWU on top 35-27 for the team's largest lead of the game. The Hawks would ultimately go into halftime still leading by eight (37-29).

Early in the second half, Gordon pulled within one four minutes in (39-40), but the Hawks answered with seven straight to go back up by eight.

That would be the theme over most of the period, with the Fighting Scots pulling back in the game but not quite able to take the lead. Gordon managed to tie the game three times at 48, 53, and 55. It would not be until Jason Dempsey (Wallingford, Conn.) dropped in a layup with 3:37 to play to give Gordon its first lead since the first half.

The Hawks were doomed by a four-minute scoreless stretch that turned a two-point lead into a five-point deficit (57-62) with 1:16 to play. Conor O'Brien (Sharon, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer with 16.8 seconds left to bring RWU within two (61-63), but Richie Armand (Hempstead, N.Y.) sunk a pair of free throws to double the Fighting Scot advantage and essentially put the game out of reach.

Miersma finished with a double-double for Gordon, going for 19 points and 13 rebounds. Jake Hart (Allendale, N.J.) added 16 points off the bench, while Taylor Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.) went for six points and seven boards.

O'Brien set a new career-high with 20 points to go along with five rebounds. Palumbo set a new school record with nine steals in the game to go along with 18 points and seven assists. Alex Puzone (North Haven, Conn.) chipped in with five points, four boards, and three steals.

On Saturday, Roger Williams (7-9, 5-4 CCC) hosts Salve Regina, while Gordon (7-9, 4-5 CCC) travels to Nichols.

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