Late Rally Falls Short for Gophers in Loss to Lions

TOWSON, Md. — With 9:29 remaining in the second half of its matchup against Penn State Altoona, Goucher found itself down 69-57. The Gophers battled all the way back to take an 81-79 lead with 1:38 left, but the Lions scored nine of the game's final 12 points and came away with an 88-84 victory.

The loss was the first of the season for Goucher (2-1), while Penn State Altoona (1-2) earned its first win.

Freshman Tre Galloway III (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) powered the Gopher attack, finishing with 22 points on 8 of 11 shooting from the field. He also made all six of his free throw attempts. Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md./Fairmont Heights) and Jesse Mondry (Medford, Ore./South Medford) chipped in 15 points apiece.

Mondry scored 12 of his points in a tight first half which saw neither team lead by more than six points. Galloway hit a layup in the closing seconds to reduce Goucher's deficit to 44-40 heading into the break.

The Lions gradually expanded their lead in the second half, and a 3-pointer from Charles Tay gave them their largest advantage at 69-57.

The Gophers, though, were able to get back in it, aided by 24 second-half free throw attempts as Penn State Altoona got itself into foul trouble. Goucher hit 16 of those 24 free throws, and Galloway converted a pair of layups to cap off an 8-0 run which gave the Gophers an 81-79 lead.

The teams went back-and-forth over the next 45 seconds, and a free throw from Norman Allen II (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) knotted the score at 84 with 42 seconds remaining.

Evan Greening made the deciding shot for Penn State Altoona, converting on a 3-point play with 16 seconds to go. Allen missed a potential tying 3-point attempt to seal Goucher's fate.

The Lions hit 50 percent of its shots from the field, compared to 46.2 percent for the Gophers. Penn State Altoona also held a 43-33 edge on the glass. Jonathan Ross had a game-high 23 points for the Lions.

After three home games to start the year, Goucher will hit the road for a 4 p.m. matchup at Ferrum on Saturday. The teams met last year at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center, with the Gophers earning a 67-48 victory.