Gophers Never Recover from Dismal First Half

Noble Averages 15 ppg., Makes All-Tournament Team

TOWSON, Md. — Never before in the 22-year history of Goucher's men's basketball program have the Gophers scored as few points in a half as they did in the opening period of tonight's game against McDaniel in the 2011 Pride of Maryland Championship.

They were 6-for-25 from the field (.240), including 1-for-4 on 3-point attempts, plus they made only one of their five tries at the free-throw stripe as they managed to score only 14 points in the first 20 minutes of the contest.

The Gophers trailed 24-14 at the break and their deficit fluctuated between seven and 17 points their entire second half as they suffered a 53-40 setback to the Green Terror to finish the three-round tournament in eighth place.

The jumper Brian Morton II (Ellicott City, Md./Mount St. Joseph) hit in the paint on Gucher's third possession accounted for the only points the Gophers (0-3) could muster during the opening 8:48. Still they were able to stay within 12 points of the Green Terror (1-2) until a conventional three-point play by Cullen Murray-Kemp put McDaniel up 36-23 7:24 into the second half.

Goucher's Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) led all scorers as he supplied the Gophers with 19 points.

The Green Terror had a pair of double-digit scorers in Murray-Kemp, who came off the bench to score 13 points, and Louis Sarris-Grau, who contributed 11 points to the victory and was McDaniel's lone represenatative on the all-tournament team.

Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville), who was held to six points tonight, but averaged 15 points in the three games, was Goucher's only all-tournament selection.