Statistics
WENHAM, Mass – After Gordon erased a 12-point deficit to force overtime, the University of New England men's basketball team dominated the extra session, 23-11, to come away with a 107-95 victory in Tuesday night's Conference of New England thriller.
The victory marked UNE's first over the Fighting Scots since the 2019-20 season, as well as the first at Gordon since the 2012-13 campaign. 107 is UNE's highest offensive output since Dec. 7, 2019, a 107-91 win over Salve Regina.
Three from UNE (4-6, 2-1 CNE) eclipsed 20 points, led by
Adam Lux, who dominated to the tune of 11 points and a perfect field goal percentage in overtime to finish with a season-high 28.
Adrian Torres, who was 3-for-3 from deep, poured in 27, and
Jimmy Hulland scored a career-high 24.
Jack Pyzynski recorded his second double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Jaelen Jackson facilitated with a career-high eight assists.
Gordon (4-4, 1-2 CNE) was paced by a two-pronged offensive attack of Bernie McGuinness and Ryan Brooks, finishing with 22 and 21, respectively. Both recorded double-doubles, with Brooks grabbing a game-high 11 boards.
The Nor'easters never trailed in overtime after Lux opened the scoring with his first of two 3-pointers. He would finish the extra period 2-for-2 from deep, 3-for-3 from the field and 3-for-4 at the free throw line. Lux's second triple handed UNE a commanding 98-90 lead with just over two minutes to play. Hulland also knocked down two 3-pointers, which came on back-to-back possessions early in the bonus session. As a team, the Nor'easters were 6-for-7 from the field, and 4-for-4 from distance, in overtime while holding the Fighting Scots to just 3-for-10.
After a neck-and-neck first half, UNE used a 17-3 run to grab the game's first double-digit lead (64-54) midway through the second. The Nor'easters matched their largest lead, 72-60, inside of the 6:00 mark before the Fighting Scots chipped away, eventually cutting the deficit to four (84-80) thanks Alex Daniel's 3-pointer with 1:25 remaining. While Gordon strung together crucial defensive stops, Brooks scored to make it a two-point game before McGuinness' jumper in the final seconds forced overtime.
UNE is idle until Saturday, Jan. 4, when it hosts Western New England at 3 p.m.
