Gophers Gain Control with 19-0 Run in First Half

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. — A run of 19 consecutive points by Goucher during a more-than-four-minute stretch in the first half turned a two-point deficit into a 34-17 advantage and the Gophers kept piling it on the rest of the way as they defeated Elizabethtown, 100-69, in one of four Landmark Conference games played this afternoon.

Troy DeShields (Seaford, Del./Sussex Technical) got the 19-0 spurt started with a layup that tied the score at 17-17 with 11:44 remaining in the first half. By the time the Blue Jays (2-14, 0-8 Landmark) changed the 17 of their side of the scoreboard, head coach Tom Rose's squad went ahead to stay on a made 3-point field goal by Kevin Miles (District Heights, Md./Gwynn Park) and then tacked on both a 3-point basket and a conventional three-point play by Norman Allen II (Bowie, Md./Riverdale Baptist), as well as four points apiece by Tre Galloway III (Fort Washington, Md./Paint Branch) and Chris Outing (New Windsor, N.Y./James I. O'Neill).

By the end of the first half, Goucher owned a 53-35 lead. The Gophers (6-10, 2-5 Landmark) were 20-for-35 from the field (.571), including 6-for-14 on 3-point attempts (.429), plus they made seven of the eight free throws they were awarded.

The closest Elizabethtown ever got in the second half was 53-39 on a jump shot by Jake Sweger on the team's second possession of the period. Goucher matched its biggest lead of the contest and reached 100 points on a layup by Percy Martin (Dumfries, Va./St. Stephen's & St. Agnes) with :51 showing on the clock.

Although it's only the third time the Gophers have scored at least 100 points in a Landmark Conference game, the 31-point difference represents their largest margin of victory over a conference opponent since Landmark competition began in 2007-08.

Five Goucher players scored in double figures in the win. Miles finished with a game-high 22 points as he surpassed 20 points for the sixth time this season. Mychal Stefanides (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) and Allen contributed 13 points apiece to the victory, while Ed Oliver (Adelphi, Md./High Point) and DeShields added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The leading scorer for Elizabethtown was Peter Harding with 17 points.

The Gophers shot better than 50 percent from the field for the third straight game as their final numbers were: 37-for-68 (.544). They were 16-of-19 at the charity stripe (.842) and they outrebounded the Blue Jays, 43-25.

Goucher will go for a third straight Landmark Conference victory when it travels to Selinsgrove, Pa. on Wednesday to take on Susquehanna at 7 p.m. The Crusaders (6-1) suffered their first Landmark loss of the season this afternoon, 76-74 to Drew, but they didn't drop out of the top spot in the standings.