Unbeaten Cardinals Pin 88-53 Setback on Gophers

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Goucher opened its fifth season of Landmark Conference play this evening as it did the first four — by facing Catholic. The visiting Gophers were able to hang with the unbeaten Cardinals for much of the first half before the home team opened up as much as a 39-point lead on the way to an 88-53 victory.

Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) knocked down a pair of 3-point baskets in the opening minutes of the contest, the first one on the Gophers' first possession to put his team up 3-2 and the second creating a 16-16 tie with 12:32 left to play in the period. Ten seconds later, however, Derek Puhalski answered with a 3-pointer that put the Cardinals (6-0, 1-0 Landmark) ahead to stay.

Catholic assumed its first double-digit lead on a free throw by Chris Kearney that made the score 30-20 with 4:23 reamaining before halftime. The Gophers (1-6, 0-1 Landmark) trailed 43-28 at the break.

A 27-4 run that spanned nearly nine full minutes of the second half turned a 16-point lead for the Cardinals into an insurmountable 81-42 bulge and just over four minutes still to be played.

Brian Morton II (Ellicott City, Md./Mount St. Joseph), who connected twice from 3-point range in the final two minutes, passed Noble for scoring honors for Goucher. Morton finished with 13 points, three more than Noble.

None of Catholic's five starters reached double figures in points, but Nate Koenig and Steve Limberiou delivered 15 and 14 points, respectively, off the bench.