Gophers Waste DeShields' First Career Double-Double

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher's men's basketball program has more wins over Gallaudet in its 26-year history than any other opponent. The Gophers, however, weren't able to add to that total this afternoon when they welcomed the Bison to the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.

Gallaudet, which got off to an 0-4 start in Kevin Kovacs' first season as head coach, earned its third consecutive victory by downing head coach Tom Rose's squad, 72-51.

The Gophers (4-7) tallied the first five points of the contest. Mychal Stefanides (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) knocked down a 3-point field goal on the home team's first possession and then the freshman guard's steal led to a 2-point basket by Ed Oliver (Adelphi, Md./High Point). The Bison, however, responded with a 10-0 run that was fueled by Joshua McGriff. The junior center was 3-for-3 from the field, made two of his three free-throw attempts, grabbed three rebounds and blocked a shot during the run, which consumed nearly three minutes.

Although Goucher was able to regain the lead at 11-10 on a made jumper in the paint by Ibrahim Kallon (Silver Spring, Md./Wheaton) at 12:43, Gallaudet assumed a 26-16 advantage with 5:10 remaining before halftime on a 3-point field goal by Trey Gordon.

A run of eight consecutive points had the Gophers trailing only 28-24 in the final minute of the first half, but Gordon sank two free throws before the horn sounded to provide the Bison (3-4) with a 30-24 cushion at the break.

A free throw by Chris Outing (New Windsor, N.Y./James I. O'Neill) made it 30-25 in the opening minute of the second half, but that was as close as the game would get the rest of the way. On Gallaudet's next two possessions, Gordon and Brandon Holsworth connected from long distance to expand the visiting team's lead to 36-27.

Goucher was still within striking distance, down by only seven points, with just over nine minutes remaining, but the Gophers were outscored 17-4 over the next 6:40 to fall behind 67-47.

The 51 points is the fewest Goucher has scored in 2015-16 against a Division III opponent. The Gophers were 18-for-62 from the field, a season-low .290 shooting percentage.

Oliver and Troy DeShields (Seaford, Del./Sussex Technical) shared scoring honors for Goucher with 12 points apiece. DeShields also latched onto a game-high 11 rebounds, giving the senior forward the first double-double of his career.

For Gallaudet, Gordon finished with team-leading totals of 19 points and nine rebounds.

Despite today's loss, the Gophers still lead the all-time series between the two schools, 32-9.

A Landmark Conference game against Juniata is up next on Goucher's schedule. The Gophers and Eagles are scheduled to square off at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 5 in Huntingdon, Pa.