Gophers Hold Off Greyhounds at the Wire 69-68

TOWSON, Md. - Goucher College picked up a key Landmark Conference men's basketball victory Wednesday night, holding off Moravian University for a 69-68 triumph at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.  The win snapped a 13-game Greyhound win streak in the series.

• Goucher (6-12, 4-7 Landmark) used a 13-3 run midway through the first half to open up a 26-16 lead following a basket by Can Dalli 7:37 before halftime.
• Moravian (7-11, 3-8) countered with an 11-1 spurt to tie the game 27-27 at the 4:02 mark.
• After the Gophers took a 30-27 lead on a Liech Kong three on their next possession, the Greyhounds rattled off 10 straight points to go up 37-30 with 1:11 on the clock.
• An Alex Miller basket with 29 seconds left pulled the Gophers within five at the break, 37-32.

• The guests took their largest lead, 45-34, 1:38 into the second half.
• Five points by Darrell Green and back-to-back layups by Jacob Morgan made up a 9-0 run that pulled Goucher within one, 45-44, with 15:56 left.
• Goucher took its first lead of the second half, 57-56, on two Morgan free throws with 7:21 on the clock.
• Moravian reclaimed the lead on its next possession before a 7-0 Gopher run capped by an Onterio Miller coast-to-coast layup made it 64-58 with just over five minutes remaining.
• A hook shot by Alex Miller with 4:05 left put the Gophers in front 66-61.
• Neither side scored for over two minutes until a Greyhound three with 1:51 left made it a 66-64 contest.
• Goucher used nearly a minute on its next possession, culminating on an Onterio Miller three with 59 seconds to go.
• Marquis Ratcliff made two free throws with 47 seconds left to pull the 'Hounds within three, then after an empty Goucher trip, Moravian a layup with three seconds left to make it 69-68.
• Moravian fouled with 2.5 seconds left.  Goucher missed the front end of a 1-and-1 and Ratcliff grabbed the rebound with 2.5 seconds left.
• After a Moravian timeout and a full-court pass, the ball went out of bounds off Goucher with 0.4 seconds on the clock.
• The Greyhounds attempted a three from the left corner but it came after time expired.

• First year Kong posted his fourth double-double of the season with 17 points, all coming in the first half, and 10 rebounds.  He finished 6-12 from the floor and 4-8 behind the arc.
• Kong has reached double figures in scoring in five straight contests, averaging 15.4 ppg over that span.
• Morgan tallied 16 points and five rebounds while adding three assists and a pair of steals to record double figures for the seventh time in eight games. Morgan also drew eight fouls on the evening.
• Green scored all 11 of his points in the final 20 minutes, knocking down a pair of three pointers.
• Onterio Miller finished with nine points and six boards, while Alex Miller added eight points.
• Goucher shot 38.5% for the game, was 7-21 behind the arc and 12-15 at the free throw line.
• The Greyhounds shot 43.6% overall and were 7-19 from long range, but just 13-23 at the charity stripe.
• Both teams grabbed 41 rebounds, with the Gophers generating a 21-10 lead in points off turnovers and an 19-11 lead in second chance points.
• Goucher's win snapped a 13-game winless streak in the series.  The last Gopher win came on January 13, 2016 by a score of 95-88 in overtime.
• The win moves Goucher into a tie with Elizabethtown for sixth in the conference standings.  With the Landmark expanding to 10 teams, six teams qualify for the league's postseason tournament.

Brandon Joseph with the SLAM for @Goucherhoops midway through the first half. Looks #SCTop10 worthy to us! @sportscenter @ESPNAssignDesk #d3hoops #GopherGreatness #GoucherProud pic.twitter.com/ET92mn9UZ0

— Goucher Gophers (@GoucherSports) January 25, 2024

• Goucher remains at home Saturday, hosting the University of Scranton in a 2 pm Landmark Conference contest at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.