Gophers Surrender 100 Points in Loss to Hornets

Noble Goes Perfect 12-of-12 on FTs, Finishes with 28 Points

LYNCHBURG, Va. — An opponent reached triple figures in points in a win over Goucher for only the second time in the past 387 games when Lynchburg defeated head coach Leonard Trevino's Gophers, 100-81, this afternoon in the inaugural meeting between the two schools in the sport of men's basketball.

Since the start of the 1996-97 season, the only other time Goucher has allowed at least 100 points in a defeat was when Mary Washington pinned a 100-59 setback on the Gophers during the 2006-07 campaign.

Today's game was tied for an eighth time when Goucher's Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) converted a layup that created a 25-25 deadlock with 10:59 left to play in the first half. Lynchburg went ahead to stay on their very next possession on a 3-point basket by Robby Kaiser that ignited a run of 11 consecutive points that staked the Hornets (4-1) to a 36-25 lead.

The advantage grew to as many as 18 points before the first half concluded and the two teams headed to their respective locker rooms at the break with Lynchburg on top 56-41.

Two of Goucher's first three possessions of the second half ended with Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) landing shots from 3-point range and when Cotton nailed a 3-pointer 5:14 into the period, the Gophers (0-4) were down by just three at 61-58.

When Tucker Lucas connected on a 3-pointer with 6:52 remaining to make the score 85-73, the Hornets managed to maintain a double-digit lead to rest of the way.

Noble, who was 6-for-17 from the field, including 4-for-9 on 3-point attempts, finished with a game-high 28 points, making him the first freshman to score at least 25 points in a game for Goucher since Cotton's 25-point effort in a 96-82 loss to Moravian on Jan. 19, 2008. The freshman guard also tied a school record by going a perfect 12-of-12 at the free-throw line, something only three other players in the history of the school's men's basketball program have done.

Cotton supplied the Gophers with 19 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.

Manny Hernandez, who came off the bench to play a total of 25 minutes for Lynchburg, was the leading scorer for the Hornets as he produced 21 points.