No. 11 Eagles Seize Momentum, Then Lead from Gophers
HUNTINGDON, Pa. — If taking an early lead was going to help Goucher's chances of handing nationally ranked Juniata its first Landmark Conference loss of the season, the Gophers had to feel good when they started out 2-for-2 from the field this afternoon and were up 4-0 thanks to made baskets by TaQuasia Lambert (Brooklyn, N.Y./Patapsco) and Elizabeth von Ende (Leawood, Kan./American Hebrew Academy).
Kollock, von Ende Share Scoring Honors for Goucher
HUNTINGDON, Pa. — If taking an early lead was going to help Goucher's chances of handing nationally ranked Juniata its first Landmark Conference loss of the season, the Gophers had to feel good when they started out 2-for-2 from the field this afternoon and were up 4-0 thanks to made baskets by TaQuasia Lambert (Brooklyn, N.Y./Patapsco) and Elizabeth von Ende (Leawood, Kan./American Hebrew Academy).
It had to boost their confidence even more when the Eagles, who occupied No. 11 in the USA Today ESPN Division III Top 25 Coaches' Poll that came out Feb. 7, turned the ball over on their first three possessions and missed all three of the 3-point shots they launched in the opening four minutes of the contest.
It gets even better: a 3-point basket by von Ende provided Goucher with a 7-0 advantage after just 3:57.
But the Gophers couldn't keep momentum — or the lead.
Juniata answered Goucher's 7-0 start with a run of eight consecutive points, going ahead for the first time on a layup by Kate McDonald that made the score 8-7. The Gophers regained the lead briefly on a layup by Abby Paris (Owings Mills, Md./Owings Mills), but next trip down, Alyssia Gordon's successful jumper put the Eagles in front for good and they went on to record a 75-49 victory.
The Gophers (5-19, 1-2 Landmark) didn't score a point over the final 3:15 of the first half and trailed 32-17 at the break.
The Eagles (23-1, 13-0 Landmark) expanded their advantage to as many as 28 points on four separate occasions in the second half, while Goucher never managed to reduce its deficit below 11 points.
The Gophers turned in one of the top shooting performances of the season as they were 21-for-46 from the field (.457). On the negative side, they managed only five offensive rebounds and, less than 24 hours after committing a season-high 32 turnovers against Susquehanna, they were guilty of 27 in today's game.
Precious Kollock (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) and von Ende shared scoring honors for Goucher with 11 points apiece.
For Juniata, Meagan Raville contributed 17 points to the victory.