Gophers Place Three in Double Figures in Opener at TCNJ

EWING, N.J. - In a game that saw five ties and 11 lead changes, a late 12-0 run by The College of New Jersey proved to be the difference as the Lions posted a 76-66 non-conference men's basketball victory over Goucher College Wednesday night in Packer Hall.  The Gophers placed three players in double figures led by first year Liech Kong's 14 points.

• Goucher (0-1) scored the game's first five points with a Can Dalli three and an Alex Miller layup putting the Gophers up 5-0 a minute in.
• A 9-2 spurt by TCNJ (1-0) put the Lions up 9-7 just over four minutes in.
• The two teams traded the lead six times before a 7-0 Lion run put the hosts on top 21-15 with 10:49 to go.
• The Gophers countered with a 13-4 run and a basket by Darrell Green 6:35 before halftime put the guests in front 28-25.
• Goucher held the lead by as many as five the remainder of the half and went into intermission with a 36-34 lead.

• The Gophers extended the lead back to five, 43-38, 2:15 into the second stanza on a Dalli three.
• TCNJ reeled off nine straight points to build a 47-43 lead after a Matthew Solomon triple with 14:38 to go.
• Down 52-47, Goucher used a 9-2 run capped by a Green layup just past the halfway point of the second half to go up 56-54.
• The Lions answered back with 12 straight points to build a 66-56 lead with 5:15 left.
• Kong's fourth three-pointer of the night with 4:57 left halted the TCNJ run.
• The Lions took their largest lead of the night, 70-59, with 3:14 remaining.
• A Dalli three and a Brandon Joseph layup whittled the Lion lead down to six, 70-64, with just over two minutes to go.
• A James Beckwith three on TCNJ's next possession with 1:19 left all but sealed the victory.

• Kong finished 5-7 from the floor, including 4-5 behind the arc, in his collegiate debut. He also finished with three blocked shots.
• Dalli, a transfer from Randolph-Macon, was 5-11 from the floor, had three three-pointers and recorded 13 points.
• Sophomore Jacob Morgan played a team-high 36 minutes and totaled 11 points, six assists, five rebounds and three steals.  His six assists were one shy of his career high.
• Joseph narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a team-high 11 rebounds. He finished 4-8 from the floor.
• Green added eight points.
• Goucher finished 8-21 (43%) behind the arc and 43% from the floor (26-60), while the Lions shot 46% overall but 6-21 behind the arc.
• Both teams finished 6-10 at the free throw line.
• TCNJ finished with a 39-36 rebound advantage and also won the turnover battle, committing 14 giveaways while the Gophers had 20 turnovers.

• Goucher returns to action Tuesday, November 14 when it travels to Mount Aloysius College for a 7:30 contest.
• The Gophers home opener is slated for Tuesday, November 21 when they host Eastern Mennonite in a 7 pm game at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.