WENHAM, Mass. – The Gordon men's basketball team held off a late rally to defeat Lesley University 76-68 on Saturday afternoon in non-conference action in Wenham, Mass. Gordon fended off a career-high 21 points from Lynx freshman Trevonn Lewis (Chicago, Ill.), outscoring the Lynx by four points in each half for the eight-point victory. Four Scots scored in double-figures while Hans Miersma (Whitinsville, Mass.) dominated the paint on the defensive end as he thwarted six shots.
The game was even from the start with the two schools trading the lead five times in the first half. Gordon jumped out to an early five-point lead on the back of Taylor Bajema (Whitinsville, Mass.), who scored five his 11 points in the opening minutes of play. The Scots missed their first two attempts from the three-point arch, but Bajema hit on a long-range triple off a kick out from Miersma.
With Miersma commanding plenty of attention in the paint all night, Gordon had plenty of opportunities to work the space on the perimeter, but the Scots managed to only hit five of their 22 three-point attempts.
Lesley (2-7) regained the lead in the seventh minute of the first half thanks to a 7-0 run capped off by a jumper by Lewis. The speedy freshman managed to keep the Gordon guards off balance with his superior first step, but the Scots second line of defense often swallowed up the point guard as he penetrated the lane. Miersma totaled two of his six blocks on drives by Lewis in the first half.
The Scots (3-5) opened their largest lead of the first half with four minutes to play at 26-20 on a transition bucket by Alex Carnes (Phoenix, Ariz.). However, the Lynx countered with a quick run of their own to drop the Scots' lead to one-point with only seconds to play in the first half on a pair of jumpers by Lewis and senior Kris Bennett (Inglewood, Calif.).
Park Thomas (Scottsdale, Ariz.) banked a 25-foot jumper as time expired in the half to bring Gordon's lead to four at the break.
Gordon opened an eight-point lead early in the second half and their lead hovered between three and eight points for much of the next 10 minutes. Every time Lesley put a short spurt together, the Scots countered with an attack of their own to re-extend their lead.
Lewis made a fast-break layup with less than four minutes remaining in the game to bring the Lynx within three points, but they would never get closer than that. Thomas went 10-for-12 from the charity stripe down the stretch to seal Gordon's eight-point victory—their third of the season.
Thomas led the Scots with 18 points, with most of his points coming on free-throws. Carnes continued his impressive senior season with a 8-for-11 night from the floor, totaling 17 points. High school teammates Bajema and Miersma were the other two Gordon players with double-digit points.
Miersma added his fifth double-double of his junior campaign and he now has 35 blocks in eight games, which leads the nation through this weekend. His 4.35 blocks-per-game average is also tops in the nation for players who have played in at least seven games this season.
The game marked the third time in the last four games Lewis has been in doubles-figures while junior Nikalus Oliver (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) finished with 12 points. Senior Mike Kaufman (Boca Raton, Fla.) continued his hot hand as he drained 2-of-4 from downtown on his way to ten points. Bennett corralled a team-high 12 rebounds while freshman Max McCoy (Simi Valley, Calif.) came off the bench for eight points.
The Lynx are off until New Years Eve when they travel to Division I Dartmouth College at 2:00p.