Cardinals Prevail Thanks to .615 Shooting Percentage
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Opponents managed to shoot only 41.2 percent from the field against Goucher during the first 20 games of the 2010-11 season. Only two — Washington (Md.) on November 20 and Drew on January 14 — exceeded 50 percent when they faced the Gophers.
Giacubeno Goes 3-for-6 on 3-Pointers, Finishes with 16 Points
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Opponents managed to shoot only 41.2 percent from the field against Goucher during the first 20 games of the 2010-11 season. Only two — Washington (Md.) on November 20 and Drew on January 14 — exceeded 50 percent when they faced the Gophers.
That makes the .615 shooting percentage by Catholic tonight all the more incredible. The Cardinals prepared for the upcoming Landmark Conference playoffs with a 32-for-52 shooting performance that led them to a 79-60 triumph over Goucher in the Gophers' final game of the season.
The Gophers (6-15, 4-10 Landmark) overcame an early 8-2 deficit on 3-point baskets by Colby Giacubeno (Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall) on back-to-back possessions, but the 8-8 tie lasted for only nine seconds until a layup by Matt Stone put the Cardinals (18-7, 9-5 Landmark) ahead to stay.
Catholic's lead remained in single digits until Shawn Holmes converted a layup with 4:01 left to play in the first half, making the score 32-21. The Gophers trailed 38-26 at the break.
The Cardinals began the second half by going 4-for-4 from the field and extended their lead to 46-26. The Gophers fell behind by as many as 24 points and then trimmed their deficit to 68-55 when Kyle Gladden (Baltimore, Md./Lansdowne) got two free throws to drop with 4:03 remaining.
Giacubeno, who was 3-for-6 on 3-point attempts, wound up with 16 points. He averaged 11.4 points in the 14 games in which he played after transferring to Goucher in the middle of the season.
Gladden and Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) supplied the Gophers with 11 points apiece, while Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) added 10 points. Lindsay was also credited with one blocked shot to become the first player in the history of Goucher's men's basketball program to block 50 shots in one season.
The five starters accounted for all but 17 of Catholic's 79 points. Jason Banzhaf recorded game-high totals of 19 points and 11 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season. R.J. Dixon added 18 points.