Goucher Overcomes Slow Start, Moves Back Over .500

TOWSON, Md. — Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) scored 18 points, and Jesse Mondry (Medford, Ore./South Medford) added 10 as Goucher overcame a sloppy first half to defeat Gallaudet 60-45 at the Decker Sports & Recreation Center this evening.

The Gophers (4-3), who have now won two straight, outscored the Bison (1-7) by a 32-17 margin in the second half after the teams were tied heading into the intermission.

Goucher's defense was up to the task in the opening 20 minutes, forcing 18 Gallaudet turnovers. The Gophers, though committed 10 turnovers of their own, and the Bison took advantage of their limited shooting opportunities, making 47.4 percent of their first half shots compared to 34.4 percent for Goucher.

Gallaudet led by as many as 12 points early on, and Goucher still trailed 25-15 with 2:21 remaining, when a Cody Toler (Laurel, Md./Reservoir) 3-pointer keyed a 13-3 Gopher run to end the half. Kevin Miles (District Heights, Md./Gwynn Park) drilled another long-distance shot with six seconds left to level up the score at 28.

A free throw from Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md./Fairmont Heights) in the opening minute of the second half gave Goucher its first lead of the night, and the Gophers would never relinquish that lead again. Noble, who led the team with 10 first-half points, added eight more after the break and shot 8 of 14 from the field overall. His 18 points were a season high, and he has now scored in double figures in three consecutive games.

All 10 of Mondry's points came in the second half, while Livingston also totaled all nine of his points in the closing 20 minutes.

Goucher forced 12 more turnovers in the second half, turning those Bison miscues into 15 points on the other end. The Gophers also limited Gallaudet to 18.2 percent shooting from the field after halftime.

With the win, Goucher improves to 32-7 lifetime against the Bison. Tonight was the team's first meeting since the 2006-07 season, when both teams were still in the Capital Athletic Conference.

The Gophers will now look towards a road matchup at Division I William & Mary at 7 p.m. next Friday. The Tribe, who are 5-4 this season, will be Goucher's first regular season game against a D-I school since January 2010 at Princeton. The Gophers traveled to Navy earlier this season, but that game was played as an exhibition for Goucher.