Gophers Felled by Hood in Season Opener

Gophers Felled by Hood in Season Opener

Team Stats

November 11, 2022

FREDERICK, Md. - Host Hood College pulled away after halftime as it posted a 68-51 men's basketball victory over Goucher College in the opening round of the MMI Tip-Off Friday night at Hood's BB&T Arena.  The game marked the season opener for both schools.

First Half

  • Hood (1-0) opened a 12-5 lead just under eight minutes into the game.
  • Down 14-6, Goucher (0-1) pulled within three on an Darrell Green (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) three and a basket by Octavius Johnson (Houston, Texas/Pasadena Memorial) with 8:14 left before halftime.
  • A 5-0 Gopher spurt capped by a Jacob Morgan (Bowie, Md./Bowie) basket with 4:43 on the clock tied the game 19-19.
  • A Morgan free throw with just under four minutes to go put Goucher in front 20-19.
  • Goucher extended the lead to 22-19 on a Johnson layup with 3:04 left before halftime.
  • The Blazers closed the half on a 7-1 run and took a 26-23 lead into the locker room.

Second Half

  • Goucher cut the lead to one, 28-27, on back-to-back Morgan layups with 17:56 to go.
  • Back-to-back triples by Hood puushed the lead back to seven before a John Dixon (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) three and a Brandon Joseph (Bowie, Md./Annapolis Area Christian) layup cut the lead to two with just under 16 minutes remaining.
  • An 8-0 spurt pushed Hood's lead to 10, 42-32, with 13:38 to go.
  • The Gophers whittled the lead to six, 44-38, on a Morgan basket at the midway point of the half.
  • Leading 47-40, 10 straight points by the Blazers increased the lead to 57-40 with just under six minutes to go.
  • Hood would lead by at least 15 the rest of the way.

Numbers and Notes

  • First year Morgan led the Gophers with 12 points in his collegiate debut.
  • Dixon added eight points off the bench, while Johnson and Green added seven points apiece.
  • Johnson also grabbed eight rebounds.
  • Hood shot 38.6% overall while limiting the Gophers to 28.6% shooting, including 4-21 behind the arc.
  • The Blazers, who held a 45-37 rebounding advantage, were 10-32 behind the arc.

What's Next

  • Goucher faces Mary Baldwin in the second round of the MMI Tip-Off on Saturday at 1 pm at BB&T Arena.
  • The Gophers play their home opener on Tuesday, November 15 when they host Mount Aloysius in a 7 pm game at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.