Royals Outlast Gophers 68-65

TOWSON, Md. - First year Goucher College forward Liech Kong paced three players in double figures as the Gophers fell 68-65 in non-conference men's basketball to Eastern Mennonite University at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center Tuesday evening.

• Kong had the first six Goucher (1-2) points as the Gophers held an early 6-2 lead.
• Down 10-8, Eastern Mennonite (2-3) used a 9-0 run to build a 17-10 lead midway through the first half.
• Goucher got the lead down to two, 22-20, on a Jaden Workman basket 4:45 before intermission.
• A 9-3 Royal spurt put the guests in front 31-23 in the final minute and EMU led 31-25 at the break.

• The two teams traded threes early in the second stanza, with a Kong triple working the lead back to six, 37-31, with 17:24 to go.
• A three by Workman 43 seconds later made it a four-point contest, 38-34.
• Seven straight by EMU made it 45-34 with 15:11 on the clock.
• Goucher chipped away and a three-point play by Onterio Miller with 8:30 left made it a 51-47 game.
• Five straight Royal points made it 56-47 with just over 10 minutes left.
• A Kong basket with just under two minutes to go made it a 62-57 game.
• The Royals made all six of their free throws in the final minute to seal the win, with a Jacob Morgan three at the buzzer accounting for the final.

• Kong finished 6-11 from the floor and also grabbed 11 rebounds for his first collegiate double-double.
• Can Dalli knocked down three three-pointers and finished with 13 points, while Morgan recorded 10 points, five rebounds, three assists and three steals.
• Miller and Joseph each added eight points, with Joseph recording 10 boards.
• Thomas Lewis knocked down a pair of threes and added six points.
• Goucher shot 33.9% overall, was 8-25 behind the arc and 15-20 at the free throw line.
• EMU, which was outrebounded by Goucher 40-35, shot 38% overall, 7-20 from long range and 23-26 at the stripe.

• Goucher is idle until next Wednesday, November 29, when it hosts Susquehanna in its Landmark Conference opener at 7 pm at the Decker SRC.