Goucher Fades Late in Loss to High-Flying Royals

TOWSON, Md. —Facing a Scranton team which entered tonight's game on a 10-game winning streak, Goucher trailed by only three points midway through the second half before ultimately dropping a 65-47 decision to the Royals.

Sharnell Huff (Bowie, Md./Bowie) led the Gophers (5-9, 1-3 Landmark) with 17 points, while India Perkins (Brentwood, Md./Bladensburg) added a career-high 13 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Scranton (13-2, 5-0) upped its streak to 11 games, the last seven of which have been won by at least 17 points.

Goucher responded to the challenge of its tough opponent, playing neck and neck with the Royals for a majority of the contest. Huff scored the game's first five points, and she hit a layup with 5:34 left in the opening half to give the Gophers a 19-18 advantage. The senior guard scored in double figures for a third-consecutive game and the 10th time overall this season.

Scranton would then go 12-2 run to open up a 30-21 edge, but Perkins nailed a running 3-pointer at the buzzer to get Goucher within six heading into the intermission. The long shot inside half court was the first 3-point attempt of her career. Amaka Ezeani (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) added a pair of blocks in the first half for the Gophers.

Goucher reduced the deficit to three points on three separate occasions after the break, the last of which came on a Perkins jumper with 14:13 remaining to make it 39-36. That, however, was the Gophers' last basket for over seven minutes, as the Royals went on a 12-0 run to put the game out of reach.

The final score was Scranton's largest lead of the contest. Meredith Mesaris had a game-high 23 points for the Royals.

Monique Welch (Reisterstown, Md./Franklin) dished out four assists for Goucher, and she also made both of her attempts from the free throw line. As a team, the Gophers finished 10 of 11 from the charity stripe to help keep the game close despite shooting just 32.1 percent from the field. Scranton shot 50.0 percent overall, and also held a 36-27 edge in rebounds.

Goucher will now head back on the road for its next game, a 7 p.m. matchup at Juniata on Wednesday. The Eagles (7-8, 0-4) lost 67-62 against Drew earlier this afternoon.