Gophers Knock Off Cardinals, Put End to Skid

Gophers Knock Off Cardinals, Put End to Skid

Four Freshmen Starters Combine for 62 Points in 80-73 Win

February 21, 2009

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Goucher won't have a double-digit losing streak hanging over its head all the way through November when it plays its next game after all. That's because the Gophers ended the skid tonight in their final game of the 2008-09 season by knocking off Catholic, 80-73.

Since losing to the Cardinals, 78-49, in a Landmark Conference game back in December, head coach Didi Cotton's Gophers had won only twice and they came into tonight's rematch having dropped 11 in a row. But they immediately displayed their intentions of stopping the streak by shooting 17-for-35 from the field (.486) in the first half to take a 43-41 lead after 20:00.

After pulling even with the Gophers at 49-49 on a lay-up by Brianna Peterson 3:14 into the second half, the Cardinals (12-13, 5-9 Landmark) briefly went ahead by two points on two separate occasions before Amber Smith (Baltimore, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) put Goucher in front to stay by making a free throw with 11:35 remaining.

The two teams were never separated by more than six points the rest of the way until Leia Roberts-Brown (Capitol Heights, Md./Archbishop Carroll) closed out the scoring by converting a pair of free throws with :02 showing on the clock. In the second half alone, the Gophers (6-18, 2-12 Landmark Conference) were 18-of-24 at the charity stripe (.750).

All four of the freshmen that Cotton had in her starting line-up scored in double figures. Kelsey Myette (Binghamton, N.Y./Seton Catholic Central), who poured in 15 points in the first half, finished with a career-high 19 points. Elizabeth von Ende (Leawood, Kan./American Hebrew Academy) also tallied 19 points for her 13th double-digit scoring performance of the season. Kiara James (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) and Kiara Doughty (Salisbury, Md./Wicomico) both contributed 12 points to the victory.

Doughty also grabbed a career-high 12 rebounds, giving her the first double-double of her career.

The Gophers out-rebounded Catholic, 52-45. Smith accounted for 11 of Goucher's total to nail down the rebounding title in the Landmark Conference for 2008-09. The junior forward averaged 9.4 rebounds per game.

Brianna Peterson, who was the leading scorer in the Landmark Conference at 21.4 points per game going in, supplied the Cardinals with 31 points.