Bench Delivers 77 Points as Cardinals Top Gophers

Double-Double of 15 Points, 16 Rebounds for Lambert

LAS VEGAS, Nev. — Goucher's five starters outscored their counterparts from North Central, 68-27, but nine players came off the bench to supply the Cardinals with 77 additional points in a 104-90 victory over the Gophers today at the 2012 Vegas Hoopla.

Latifah Butler (Annapolis, Md./Annapolis) provided Goucher with its biggest lead of the contest when she converted a layup 7:29 into the first half to make the score 22-13, but by the time the period came to an end, the Cardinals (7-4) had gone in front by 15 points, 53-38.

The Gophers (4-6) closed to within five points on two separate occasions in the second half. The first time was when Butler capped a 9-0 run by her team by converting a layup that made the score 60-55 with 16:01 left to play; the second was on a layup by Adrienne Flowers (Columbia, Md./Pallotti) that reduced North Central's lead to 64-59 with just under 14 minutes remaining.

Butler led all scorers as she furnished the Gophers with 26 points. TaQuasia Lambert (Brooklyn, N.Y./Patapsco) tallied 15 points and pulled down a game-high total of 16 rebounds.

Larynn Shumaker captured scoring honors for North Central as she delivered 22 points off the bench. She was 5-of-6 from the field and a perfect 12-of-12 at the free-throw stripe.

North Central did a lot of its damage from long distance as nine different players made at least one 3-point basket. For the game, the Cardinals were 13-for-52 from benind the 3-point line.

Goucher, on the other hand, was only 1-for-4 on 3-point attempts with Precious Kollock (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) accounting for the team's only successful 3-pointer.

The loss prevented the Gophers from achieving their first four-game winning streak since the 2005-06 season when the knocked off, in order, Gallaudet, Notre Dame (Md.), Neumann and Rutgers-Camden.