Royals Pull Away from Gophers in Second Half

TOWSON, Md. - Playing its first home game in over a month, the Goucher College men's basketball team stayed close for much of the first half, but the University of Scranton pulled away in the second half en route to a 79-64 Landmark Conference victory Saturday afternoon at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.

• Scranton (8-5, 2-1 Landmark) led 6-2 just over a minute and a half into the game.
• The Gophers (3-10, 0-3) used a 12-2 run capped by a conventional three point play by Ryan Conde (Ewing, N.J./Solebury School) to build a 14-8 lead at the 13:45 mark.
• The Royals countered with a 13-6 run to reclaim the lead on a three just past the midway point of the half.
• Goucher reclaimed the lead on a basket by Octavius Johnson (Houston, Texas/Pasadena Memorial) with 9:32 left before intermission.
• The hosts stayed within striking distance, with a Will Towne (Alexandria, Va./Deerfield Academy) basket putting Goucher within one, 28-27, with 4:25 left.
• Scranton closed the first half on an 11-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 39-29, into the break.

• Back-to-back baskets by John Dixon (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) early in the second half cut Scranton's lead to seven, 40-33.
• The Gophers and Royals traded baskets, with another Dixon field goal with 16:24 on the clock making 47-38.
• After two Conde free throws with 13:19 on the clock made it 53-42, a 7-2 spurt by Scranton gave them a 60-44 lead with 11:53 left.
• Goucher got the lead down to 14 twice, before Scranton opened up a 70-51 cushion with 6:21 remaining.
• Johnson made a layup with 4:53 to go to cut Scranton's lead to 70-55 but would get no closer until a Nieko White (Churchton, Md./Southern) basket in the final minute made it 78-64.

• Freshman Tevin Venson (Waldorf, Md./Thomas Stone) paced the Gophers with a career-best 13 points, making all seven of his free throw attempts.  He also went 3-6 from the floor.
• Conde was 4-5 off the bench and totaled 11 points, while Dixon and Josh Lichti (Harrisonburg, Va./Harrisonburg) each recorded 10.
• Lichti, who grabbed six rebounds, reached double figures in scoring for the seventh staight game.
• Cam Isaacs (Randallstown, Md./Randallstown) contributed seven points and six rebounds.
• Goucher shot 46.2% in the second half and 42.9% for the game while going 13-17 at the free throw line.  It was 3-10 behind the arc.
• Scranton extended its win streak to four games.

.@Goucher_MBB Play of the Game

Ryan Conde converts the fast break layup and draws the foul for the conventional three-point play in the first half!#d3hoops #GopherGreatness pic.twitter.com/rSoKeGVvH5

— Goucher Gophers (@GoucherSports) January 15, 2022

• Goucher travels to Elizabethtown on Wednesday evening for a 7 pm Landmark Conference contest.
• The Gophers return home on Monday, January 24 when they host Juniata in a makeup contest at 7 pm at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.  Fans are currently not permitted at Goucher home sporting events at this time.