Gophers Avenge Earlier 28-Point Loss to Saints
Alexander Nails Two Key Three-Pointers, Ends Up with 14
Points
January 2, 2010
ARLINGTON, Va. — Goucher avenged a 28-point loss to
Marymount in December by downing the Saints, 59-58, tonight,
earning a spot opposite Rutgers-Newark in tomorrow night’s
championship game of the Marymount Holiday Classic.
Two players who combined to score only nine points in last
month’s 93-65 loss to Marymount in the Decker Sports &
Recreation Center supplied the Gophers (2-7) with a total of 24
points tonight: Tim Alexander (Hagerstown,
Md./Williamsport), who put Goucher ahead to stay with a
three-point basket with 4:33 remaining, ended up with 14 points and
Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) chipped in
with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Lindsay, who was 5-for-6 from the field, made two of his baskets
during a run of 11 straight points in the first half by the Gophers
that turned a five-point deficit into a 22-16 lead. Micah
Perry (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) put the finishing
touches on the 11-0 spurt by knocking down a three-point field goal
with 5:19 remaining before halftime.
The Saints (5-6) quickly overcame Goucher's 29-24 advantage at the
break by opening the second half with an 8-3 run, pulling into a
32-32 deadlock on a three-pointer by Tarek Ammoury with 16:16 left
to play. Ammoury, who was held to 10 points in last month's game,
wound up with 30 points tonight by going 10-for-17 from the field
and 4-for-5 on his three-point attempts.
There would be five more ties over the next 8:32. Goucher's
Kyle Gladden (Baltimore, Md./Lansdowne) created
the final tie of the contest with 7:44 showing on the clock by
canning a pair of free throws, making the score 47-47.
Layups by Patrick Prewitt and Sam Sentz on back-to-back
possessions allowed the Saints to open up a 51-47 advantage before
Alexander landed two shots from three-point range 1:09 apart, the
second of which put the Gophers in the lead for good.
Both teams spent a good portion of the final 5:00 at the
free-throw line: The Saints missed six free throws down the stretch
and were only 10-of-23 (.435) for the game; the Gophers were a
little more successful as they finished at 12-of-20 (.600) despite
five misses in nine tries while attempting to maintain the lead at
the end.
A basket by Ammoury with :11 remaining — Marymount's first
field goal for 6:36 —sliced Goucher's lead to 59-58. The
Saints quickly fouled and the Gophers missed both attempts, but
were saved when Ammoury's buzzer-beating shot to win the game
wouldn't fall.