Crusaders Depart SRC with Three-Point Win Over Gophers

Five Ties, Lead Changes Hands Four Times During Final 7:07

TOWSON, Md. — Starting with a 3-point basket by Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) that put Goucher ahead 58-56, there were five ties and four lead changes during the final 7:07 of tonight's Landmark Conference game in the Decker Sports & Recreation Center against Susquehanna.

One player who clearly elevated his game down the stretch was Susquehanna's  J.T. Wilson. The junior forward knocked down 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions and also made two crucial free throws with 1:26 remaining, propelling the Crusaders to a 77-74 victory over the Gophers.

Right before Wilson went on his eight-point spree, the Gophers (3-12, 0-5 Landmark) had taken a 68-65 lead on a 3-point basket by Marcus Cotton (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook), who finished with a game-high 21 points.

Two free throws by Goucher's Dylan Chaney (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) created the final tie of the game at 71-71 with 2:51 showing on the clock. The Gophers nearly got a defensive stop on the subsequent possession, but an offensive rebound gave new life to the Crusaders (9-6, 3-2 Landmark), who turned it into a tie-breaking jumper by Harley Sellinger.

Wilson's two free throws put Susquehanna up 75-71, but Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) made it a two-point game with a jumper for Goucher just 15 seconds later. The rest of the way, all the scoring was done from the free-throw line: Cotton reduced Susquehanna's lead to one point by making 1-of-2 foul shots with :17 remaining; three seconds later, Spenser Spencer of the Crusaders canned a pair to make the score 77-74.

A desperation 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up short.

There were four double-digit scorers for each team. Richard Harris (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) was next in line for Goucher after Cotton as he produced 17 points, while Shane Yambor (Burtonsville, Md./Paint Branch) and Noble added 10 apiece. Brendan Rezny and Sellinger shared scoring honors for Susquehanna with 19 points apiece, one more than Spencer and five ahead of Wilson.

Mike Perillo of the Crusaders was credited with 12 assists, just one shy of the single-game record for the Decker SRC.

The Gophers were 16-for-27 from the field in the second half, raising their shooting percentage for the game to .473. It was a different story at the free-throw stripe, however, as they were only 15-of-28 there (.536).

The Crusaders ended up with a 47-35 advantage in rebounds. They scored 16 second-chance poijts off of their 19 offensive boards.