With four minutes left in the fourth quarter of Southern New Hampshire’s visit to Franklin Pierce, the Penmen were leading by nine against the bottom team in the NE-10, but the Ravens were making a push.

The ball swung out to the left wing and senior forward Meghan Gordon drilled a three with a hand in her face. After a stop at the other end, Gordon again got the ball on the left side and this time driving past the defender and finishing with her right hand at the rim for her 21st point of the night and the 1,000th of her college career.

Franklin Pierce called timeout a few seconds later and Gordon’s teammates raced to mid-court to celebrate the milestone with her. Gordon didn’t reach the 1,000-point mark in high school (she’s not exactly sure how many points she finished with) but she set her sights on reaching that mark at the collegiate level.

“It’s awesome,” the former Attleboro star said. “It’s a huge accomplishment and it’s something that has always been my goal since the first day that I walked onto the court at SNHU. I’m really proud of myself, it wasn’t easy, and it took hard work and determination to get to that goal.”

Asked how it felt in the moment, Gordon replied, “I was just kind of on a mission. I really wanted it that night to help my team. We struggled a little in the first half but they needed me and I came through.”

She finished the game with 23 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and three steals. It was SNHU’s third straight win (the Penmen extended that streak to five in a row as of Thursday). The team is now 11-6 and jumped to fourth in the NE-10 standings, just half a game back of American International (who they face next).

The importance of picking up a win made the personal accomplishment more meaningful.

“Not only did I score 1,000 points but I helped my team win as well,” Gordon explained. “That’s kind of always the player I’ve been — team-first, I want the team to win, that’s my No. 1 priority.”

This has been the best season of Gordon’s career. She is averaging nearly 15 points per game (up three points per game from the past two seasons), while grabbing more than seven rebounds and dishing out nearly two assists per game and has twice been named NE-10 Player of the Week (including this past week). She is particularly proud of her field goal percentage, which has jumped to 50 percent this season.

As a freshman, she played in 30 games but didn’t break into the starting lineup and averaged 14 minutes and four points per game. She started working that summer with former Mansfield and Bridgewater State standout Rocky DeAndrade and X Factor Hoops Training. She’s started 69 of the 73 games SNHU has played over the past three years.

“I knew there were so many things I could improve and get better at,” Gordon said. “I was in the basketball gym, I was lifting, working on getting bigger, faster, stronger, and my skills improved so much. That jump was insane for me and I’m forever grateful for the trainers at the gym who believed in me and what I could do.”

She added, “I don’t think I’d have 1,000 points without Rocky.”

Gordon also saw huge improvement in her high school career, progressing from an athletic rebounder and defender into one of the Hockomock League’s most versatile all-around players. As a senior, she averaged 16.8 points and 10 rebounds per game and was named to the HockomockSports.com First Team (along with Taunton guard and current SNHU teammate Kameron St. Pierre).

“I’m not just okay with being okay and just being average,” she said. “I always strive to be better and that’s why I work so hard every day. Even now, there’s so much more I can improve on and get better at and I think that mindset truly has allowed me to succeed and see that jump every year since I was a freshman in high school.”

A two-year captain at SNHU, Gordon is sharing that mindset with a relatively young Penmen roster that has only one grad student, one senior, and two juniors.

“Being that person to bring the team up, stay positive, during those hard times is something I’ve gotten a lot better at,” Gordon said. “I’m excited to share my energy, share my advice with the team during those hard situations so we can get through them.”

She credits the team’s chemistry for helping the Penmen rebound from a tough start to the season (they were 2-4 out of the gates) and turn things around after the holiday break. Now, SNHU heads into the second half of its league campaign with confidence that it can compete with the top teams in the NE-10.

“Oh 100%, our league is tough, there are so many great teams, but that also goes with the fact that anyone can beat anyone on a given day,” Gordon said. “Game by game, we just continue to build confidence. We’ve got some big teams coming up so it would be great to see a big win.”

The ultimate goal is of course to end her college career with another trip to the NCAA Tournament, something Gordon experienced each of her first two seasons in Manchester.

“We tell the younger girls, the NCAA Tournament means so much,” she said. “It’s so much bigger and what you’re competing for is huge. We’ve put so much time and love and energy into creating a great team where we can all succeed together. To bring a trophy home at the end of the season with this team that we’ve built would be amazing.”

Heading into the final month-plus of her college career, Gordon is allowing herself time to enjoy the experience and reflect on what’s gotten her here.

“I’ve just been feeling extremely grateful recently for all the support I’ve had the past few years and all the people who’ve believed in me and supported me,” Gordon said. “I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”

Of course, there are still games to win and a lot more to achieve on the court too.

“These last two months, I’m going to enjoy them but we’re also here to get a job done.”