Goucher Falls In Down To The Wire Finish Against ETown

BALTIMORE, MD- The Goucher College Gophers (2-5 overall, 1-3 conference) lost in a down-to-the-wire thriller against the Blue Jays of Elizabethtown (7-1 overall, 3-1 conference) on Saturday afternoon, dropping the contest 64-63.

The Gophers opened up the game strong with a three from Avree Harris ten seconds in. Elizabethtown fired back with a three of their own followed by a layup. A steal from Harris lead to a layup for Darnell Morris Jr. to put the Gophers ahead by one. The teams traded baskets as the Blue Jays inched ahead. With just over seven minutes left in the first half, Morris Jr. drilled another three to bring the Gophers within one, and moments later, his layup gave Goucher the lead. The Blue Jays regained the lead by knocking down a three, but the Gophers responded with back-to-back threes from Morris Jr and Liech Kong to extend their lead by four. Back-to-back buckets for the Blue Jays put them ahead with 3:30 remaining in the first half. The closing minutes of the half had consistent back-and-forth action, capped off by a clutch jumper from Brian Griffin. Elizabethtown led Goucher at the end of the first half, 36-33.

Sophomore Jadyss Fifer came alive in the second half with a made shot beyond the arc to start the scoring for the Gophers. Baskets were traded by both teams, but Fifer tied the game with a steal and made layup. With an Elizabethtown turnover, Jack Murdaugh gave the Gophers the lead with a made bucket. Fifer continued his offensive prowess with a three, assisted by Griffin. The Blue Jays climbed back in, converting free throws and a layup to tie the game. At 9:30 left in the game, the Blue Jays made a three to give them the three point advantage. Instantly, Morris Jr. swished in a three to make it a tied ball game. Elizabethtown slowly regained the lead after trading baskets for five minutes. Fifer knocked down a three to pull the Gophers within one (60-59) with 4:29 left on the clock. Elizabethtown added to their lead by making two free throws. Out of a Goucher timeout, Kong brought the Gophers back within one with a made layup. Elizabethtown answered out of their own timeout, restoring their cushion. Another timeout allowed the Gophers to regroup, and Kong found Murdaugh for the go-ahead layup. However, the Blue Jays closed out the game with strong defensive pressure, blocking Fifer's final three point attempt to seal the 64-63 win.

The leading scorer for the Gophers was Fifer with 19 points, going 7-13 from the field and shooting 50% from beyond the arc. He also had eight rebounds to cap off his night. Morris Jr. was not far behind Fifer, scoring 15 points and three assists. Griffin also had three assists and added three steals and two blocks. Kong led the team in rebounds with nine.

The Blue Jays led the Gophers in field goal percentage by shooting 39.6% compared to 37.7%. From beyond the arc, Elizabethtown went 10-25 whereas Goucher went 9-28. At the charity stripe, Goucher shot 66.7% versus Elizabethtown's 60.0%.

The Gophers are back in action on Tuesday, Dec. 9^th when they travel Washington, D.C to take on Gallaudet at 7pm. Goucher is back at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center on Friday, Dec. 12^th at 7pm to compete against St. Mary's of Maryland.