Morton Scores 20 Points For Fifth Time This Season In Final Road Game At Catholic

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Goucher College saw Catholic University pull away in the second half in a 75-60 loss in Landmark Conference men's basketball action on Wednesday.

Dwayne Morton (Waynesville, Mo./Waynesville) paced the Gophers with 20 points and six rebounds. Morton has posted double figures in points in six of his last seven games, 17 times this season and 34 times in his career. It also marked his fifth 20+ game of the season and seventh of his career. The junior also grabbed at least five rebounds for the 11th time this season. He leads the team with 14.4 points per game.

Gabe Ceribelli (Monkton, Md./Hereford) added 11 points and a career-high eight rebounds in his final road game of his collegiate career. Ceribelli has found double figures in three-straight games, four of his last seven, 12 times this season and 19 times in his career. The senior has also grabbed at least five boards seven times this year. Ceribelli ranks second on the team with 11.2 points per game.

The contest marks the fourth  game that Goucher College is participating in NABC Coaches Vs. Cancer 3-Point Challenge. Fans can make a donation based on every 3-pointer the Gophers hit or a one-time donation. The Gophers are estimating they will hit 30 from behind the arc in the five games in the month of February. After hitting eight from behind the arc on Wednesday, Goucher has hit 24 treys in the month with one game left on Saturday against Scranton. Ceribelli has accounted for 12 of the 24 treys in the challenge while Morton has six, Timmy O'Farrell (Davidsonville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) has five and Kevin Bell (Frederick, Md./Tuscarora) joined the party on Wednesday with his first in the month. For more information, click here 

Goucher concludes its season on Saturday against Scranton. The Gophers will honor seniors Ceribelli and Uvan Stewart (Frederick, Md./Saint Maria Gorretti) before its 4 p.m. tipoff.

Twenty-eight days ago, Farrell hit the game-tying 3-pointer to send the game to OT where Goucher downed the Cardinals to earn its first conference win of the year.

On Wednesday, Catholic jumped out to a 27-12 lead with eight minutes left in the first half before the Gophers closed the stanza and started the second frame on a 23-5 run to take a 33-31 lead with 18:38 left in the game. Ceribelli hit a pair of triples in this run while Devon Esslinger (Las Cruces, N.M./Las Cruces) cut the margin to 31-29 at the break on a jumper with 51 seconds left.

Morton tied the game at 31 at 19:46 and Cameron Isaacs (Owings Mills, Md./Randallstown) made two free throws to give Goucher a 33-31 edge 88 seconds into the final frame. The Gophers would tie the game at 35 before Catholic would go on a 20-3 run to take the lead for good and earn the 75-60 victory.

O'Farrell finished with nine points in the loss.