Gophers Ride 36-Point Swing to First Win Over Blazers

TOWSON, Md. — Goucher went from trailing by as many as 17 points in the first half to leading by as many as 19 in second period in what turned out to be a 78-70 triumph over Hood tonight.

It was the Gophers' first victory in six all-time encounters with the Blazers.

Goucher, playing at home in the Decker Sports & Recreation Center for the first time in 2015-16, struggled from the field at the outset. The only two baskets the Gophers (4-5) made during the opening 10 minutes of the contest were a pair of 3-pointers by Tucker Canary (Silver Spring, Md./Montgomery Blair).

The senior guard would go on to sink three more shots from long distance and finish with a career-high 26 points.

The leading scorer for Goucher, though, was senior guard Kevin Miles (District Heights, Md./Gwynn Park), who contributed 28 points to the victory. But with under three minutes remaining in the first half and the Gophers trailing by 14, he had managed to score only two points.

By halftime, Miles' total was up to 11 as he fueled an 11-0 run by the Gophers by making all three shots he took, including one from 3-point range. In addition, he converted a pair of free throws, made two steals, blocked a shot and even assisted a layup by Mychal Stefanides (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright).

Hood bumped its lead back up to five points when its first possession of the second half ended with a layup by Davon Hill. Canary knocked three-points off that cushion when he answered from long distance on Goucher's subsequent possession.

The Gophers went ahead for the first time when Miles landed a 3-point bucket with 17:18 left to play. That turned out to be the only lead change of the entire contest.

The Blazers (5-2) fell behind by 10 points for the first time when Miles connected again on a shot from behind the 3-point line with just over 12 minutes remaining.

Canary provided head coach Tom Rose's team with its biggest lead at 66-47 with a steal and fast-break layup just under the seven-minute mark.

The Gophers capped a 17-for-21 performance at the free-throw line (.810) by sinking six of their eight attempts in the final minute of play. The Blazers, meanwhile, were 12-of-24 at the charisty stripe (.500).

Goucher has two games left to play before the holiday break, the first of which will be at Lynchburg this Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m.