With a sell-out crowd of 10, 353 for the Pirates final home game of the 2015-16, the team handled business against no. 5 Xavier for a 90-81 upset victory.
Senior Day at The Rock started off by honoring Derrick Gordon, and the defensive specialist did not disappoint. Scoring a modest eight points, the guard pitched in six rebounds and a steal. But Gordon was truly heard with his wing defense against Xavier guards Edmond Sumner and Myles Davis.
Head coach Kevin Willard knew Gordon was as good as advertised on defense.
“I envisioned the impact on the defensive end, I really did,” Willard said.