Early Second Half Surge by Catholic Sinks Men’s Basketball in 86-58 Defeat at Home

Box Score

TOWSON, Md - The Goucher College men's basketball team stayed within striking distance of visiting Catholic on Wednesday night in Landmark Conference play, but an early second-half rally by the Cardinals put them up for good in an eventual 86-58 win over the Gophers at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.

With the loss, Goucher dropped to 0-19 overall and 0-9 in the Landmark Conference, while Catholic improved to 12-8 and 6-3 in the Landmark with the win.

To start the game, things were tight between the squads, as Goucher held a 10-9 lead with 15:26 to go in the first half. Despite a 9-0 Catholic run that gave them the lead back at 18-10 with 13:21 left, Goucher fought back to stay in it, as they trailed, 21-17, with under 12 minutes to go in the first half.

Here, Catholic went on a 12-2 run over the next seven minutes to take a 33-19 lead over the Gophers with 5:44 left in the opening frame. Once the Cardinals were able to open a double-digit lead on Goucher, they held it for the remainder of the first half, as Catholic went into the half up, 39-29, on the Gophers.

To start the second half, Catholic quickly extended their lead out to 14-points (51-37), and never looked back the rest of the period. Eventually, the Cardinals went up by 20 (61-41) with 11 minutes left, which proved to be a deficit that was too much for the Gophers to come back from on the night.

Overall for Goucher in the defeat, sophomore guard Dwayne Morton (Waynesville, Mo.) was the teams leading scorer with 14 points. It marked the 11th time on the year that Morton scored in double-figures in a game, while also being the third straight game he hit double-digits.

Elsewhere, first-year forward Jacob Smith (Callaway, Va.) also hit double-figures for the third straight game, as he finished with 13 points. Smith also pulled down five rebounds and dished out four assists in the defeat, as well.

Catholic was led in the win by Jay Howard, who finished with a game-high 23 points.

The Goucher College men's basketball team returns to action on Saturday, as they host Susquehanna in a Landmark Conference matchup inside the Decker Sports & Recreation Center. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m.

--GOPHERS--