Hornets Run Away from Gophers in Second Half

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher appeared to have momentum on its side heading into the second half of today's matchup against Lynchburg.

The Gophers, who trailed 23-10 with 8:48 left in the opening 20 minutes of play, had cut that deficit down to 29-27 at halftime. The Hornets, though, scored the first 11 points of the second half, and they wound up outscoring Goucher 39-16 after the intermission to come away with a comfortable 68-43 victory.

Chris Outing (New Windsor, N.Y./James I. O'Neill) had his best effort of the season for the Gophers (0-6), finishing with a team-high 18 points and eight rebounds. The sophomore forward hit seven of his 13 attempts from the field. The rest of the team, however, shot only 15 percent from the floor (6-40), and Goucher managed just four field goals in the second half.

Outing and Tre Galloway III (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) ignited the Gopher rally to close out the opening half, scoring 14 of the team's 17 points in the final nine minutes of the period. Galloway, who finished with eight points, sent Goucher into the locker room down by two after sinking a jumper with four seconds remaining.

Lynchburg (5-0) was led all afternoon by Alex Graves. The junior forward finished with a game-high 20 points and 17 boards, and he scored eight points in the Hornets' 11-0 run to begin the second half. Austen Arnold chipped in 15 points and nine rebounds for Lynchburg, while Zack Burnett added 10 points and eight boards. The Hornets controlled the glass all afternoon, outrebounding the Gophers by a 54-33 margin.

Goucher was successful in getting to the free throw line, generating 29 attempts compared to just 12 for Lynchburg. The Gophers, though, converted only 15 of those attempts, dropping their season average from the charity stripe down to 60.2 percent.

The two teams combined for 44 turnovers. The Hornets, meanwhile, were credited with assists on 19 of their 27 made field goals, and they finished with a 19-5 edge in assists for the game.

Goucher will look for its first win this Wednesday, when the Gophers host Moravian at 7:30 p.m. in the Landmark opener for both sides. The two teams split their two matchups last season, with each winning on the other's home court.