Senior Night for Huff, Kollock Ends in Defeat

TOWSON, Md. — For the second time this season, Goucher held its own against perennial powerhouse Catholic, but the Gophers ultimately fell 62-55 to the Cardinals in the final home game for seniors Sharnell Huff (Bowie, Md./Bowie) and Precious Kollock (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco).

Amaka Ezeani (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) continued her strong finish to the season, leading Goucher (6-17, 2-11 Landmark) with 21 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. The double-double is the third in the last four games for Ezeani, who hit 10 of 13 shots from the field. She has 11 blocks in her last two games, and has totaled five or more rejections on four separate occasions since Jan. 25.

Catholic (18-5, 11-2) had four different players finish in double figures to remain one game back of conference-leading Scranton.

The Gophers took advantage of a sluggish start from their opposition, with a layup from India Perkins (Brentwood, Md./Bladensburg) giving Goucher a 7-4 lead less than five minutes into the contest. The Cardinals missed 13 of their first 16 shots, but a layup from Emily Grabiak gave them an 8-7 lead which they would never relinquish.

Catholic eventually took a 26-19 advantage into the break, turning 13 Goucher turnovers into 11 points on the other end.

That lead was extended to 48-32 with 11:13 remaining. The Gophers got it back into single digits in the final minutes, but were never able to get closer than seven points.

Both teams shot just under 40 percent from the field, but the Cardinals finished the game with a 22-8 edge in points off turnovers. Goucher ended the night with 23 giveaways compared to 15 for Catholic.

Huff struggled to get into an offensive rhythm in her home finale, but still managed 12 points and five rebounds. Kollock, meanwhile, had a career-high 12 rebounds, all of which came on the defensive end. With one game remaining in their careers, the tandem has combined for 1,674 points and 698 rebounds for the Gophers.

Perkins also had another sound all-around game for Goucher, totaling 11 points, nine rebounds and a team-high four assists. Melissa Errico paced the Cardinals with 15 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks.

The Gophers will conclude the 2013-14 season with a 4 p.m. matchup at Scranton (21-3, 12-1) this Saturday.