Caribbean Conquest: Gophers Capture Second Win

Noble's 33-Point Effort Features Six 3-Point Baskets

BAYAMON, Puerto Rico — Three freshmen combined to score 69 points in leading Goucher to a 91-87 victory over Bayamon Central this afternoon.

Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) nailed five 3-point baskets and amassed a total of 18 points over the final six minutes of the first half as the Gophers (2-8), who once trailed by as many as 12 points, found themselves locked in a 42-42 tie at the break.

Including the four free throws he made earlier, the freshman guard furnished head coach Leonard Trevino's squad with 22 points in the opening 20 minutes of the contest. He added 11 more in the second half to finish with a career-high 33 points, the second-most points scored in a game by a freshman in the history of Goucher's men's basketball program behind the 38-point effort by David Clark against Mary Washington on Feb. 15, 1992.

Noble is now averaging 17.2 points per game this season.

After scoring just nine points between them in the first half, freshman guards Richard Harris (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) and Damon Brooks (Takoma Park, Md./Springbrook) were major offensive weapons for Goucher over the final 20 minutes of play, during which the Gophers outscored Bayamon Central, 49-45. Harris collected 11 additional points in the second half to hike his total for the game to 20, the first time during his young career that he's attained that echelon.

Brooks tallied each of his career-best 16 points in the second half.

The Gophers never trailed after Brooks connected on a 3-point attempt midway through the second half to put Goucher up 65-63, but they didn't go ahead to stay until a tip-in by Brooks snapped a 75-75 tie with 5:33 left to play.

A 3-pointer by Harris with 2:20 remaining provided the Gophers with their largest advantage of the contest at 86-77.

Noble, who was 10-for-19 from the field, including 6-for-11 from 3-point range, was also Goucher's leading rebounder as he pulled down 10 boards. The Gophers out-rebounded Bayamon Central, 50-38.

Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) became Goucher's first male basketball player to register 100 blocked shots during his career, attaining the milestone when he rejected a shot by Joel Miranda 2:37 into the second half.