Gophers Bow to Sea Gulls in OT

Gophers Bow to Sea Gulls in OT

Nov. 20, 2007

SALISBURY, Md. - After taking a 69-67 lead on a lay-up by Amir Hakim (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore City College) with 1:03 remaining in overtime, Goucher essentially needed only to make a "stop" and latch onto a rebound tonight to complete a victory over Salisbury and advance in the third annual Provident Pride of Maryland Tournament through the winners' bracket. The Gophers kept getting their "stops," but they kept giving the Sea Gulls extra chances because they couldn't grab a rebound.

Instead, the Sea Gulls (2-1) rebounded five of their own missed shots in the final :45 of the five-minute extra session, continually extending a possession that produced the final four points of the contest and a 71-69 triumph over the Gophers.

Baskets by Hakim and Cameron Brown (Baltimore, MD/Owings Mills) on Goucher's first two possessions in OT allowed the Gophers to assume a 67-63 lead. The Sea Gulls scored the next four points to pull into a 67-67 tie, but the deadlock lasted only :28 before Hakim's lay-up put Goucher ahead by two points.

The Sea Gulls missed their next two shots, but both times got the offensive rebound.  With :39 showing on the clock, Brandon Abney converted a free throw to make the score 69-68. He missed his second attempt from the charity stripe, but rebounded his own miss.

Two more missed shots were followed by two more offensive rebounds until Greg Palmer nailed a shot from three-point range with :12 remaining to account for the final points of the game.

Palmer finished with a game-high 24 points. He was 10-for-19 from the field, including 2-for-7 on three-pointers.

The Sea Gulls led by as many as 11 points in the first half and were in front by nine, 38-29, at the break. The Gophers (1-1) didn't take their first lead in the second half until a free throw by Darrin Boswell (Philadelphia, PA/Joppatowne) snapped a 56-56 tie with 6:17 left to play.

Boswell captured scoring honors for Goucher as he knocked down 22 points. Hakim supplied the Gophers with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds.

The loss drops the Gophers into the consolation bracket of the tournament where they'll take on Villa Julie in the semifinals Saturday. Goucher could still battle back to place as high as fifth in the eight-team event.