Gophers Battle Early before Falling to D-I Tribe

WILLIAMSBURG, Va. — While the end result of tonight's game will show that Goucher lost 94-60 at Division I William & Mary, the Gophers will have plenty of positives from the game to take back to Towson.

Goucher (4-4) kept the game competitive for much of the first half, trailing the Tribe (6-4) only 25-21 with 6:50 remaining. The Gophers also converted all of their free throw attempts (8 of 8) for the first time in team history and committed only nine turnovers.

In the end, though, the Tribe took advantage of its size disparity down low, outrebounding Goucher 46-27 to pick up the win in its first game in 13 days.

Goucher scored the first five points of the game, with a 3-pointer from Jesse Mondry (Medford, Ore./South Medford) and a jumper from Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville). Noble hit another mid-range shot at 14:02 to give the Gophers their final lead at 10-9, and it was a Noble layup which made it 25-21, Tribe.

William & Mary then went on an 11-0 run, and Goucher was never able to recover. The Tribe took a 45-27 advantage into the intermission and were never threatened after the break.

Kevin Miles (District Heights, Md./Gwynn Park) had just five points at halftime, but the sophomore exploded for 15 more in the second to finish with a career-high 20 points. Miles, whose previous game-high was eight points, hit 8 of 14 shots from the field, including a trio of 3-pointers. He also had a team-high six rebounds.

Norman Allen II (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist) added 10 points, finishing in double figures for the third time this season.

While the Gophers did not miss a free throw, they allowed their opponent to get more shots from the line for the first time this year, with William & Mary converting 17 of 21 attempts.

The Tribe hit 48.5 percent of its shots from the field, compared to 38.3 percent for Goucher, though the Gophers had a higher shooting percentage from the 3-point line. Omar Prewitt led the Tribe with 20 points, while Marcus Thornton added 19.

Goucher finished with single-digit turnovers for the second time this season. Both teams took care of the ball, with William & Mary giving the ball away only five times.

The Gophers will now have 10 days off before participating in the 2013 Adidas Holiday Slam in Miami, Fla., beginning with a 4 p.m. matchup against Eastern on Dec. 30.