Gophers Turn Back Knights, Move Back Above .500

Gophers Turn Back Knights, Move Back Above .500

Smith Tallies Career-High 22 Points, Misses Triple-Double by Three Steals

December 2, 2008

TOWSON, Md. – Amber Smith (Baltimore, Md./Institute of Notre Dame) missed a triple-double by just three steals this evening as she supplied Goucher with a career-high 22 points and 14 rebounds in a 56-46 non-conference victory over Arcadia.

The junior forward was 11-for-23 from the field as she recorded the ninth double-double of her career. In addition to her game-high point and rebound totals, she was credited with seven steals, two assists and one blocked shot.

Smith's third basket of the game provided the Gophers with an 11-3 advantage six minutes into the contest, but the Knights (1-3) responded with a run of 12 consecutive points, taking a 15-11 lead on a lay-up by Shannon Bustin with 7:55 remaining before halftime. By scoring the final six points of the period, Goucher was able to pull ahead, 23-19, at the break.

Although the Gophers (3-2) never surrendered the lead in the second half, they saw it reduced to 31-29 on a free throw by Caitlin Sparks with 12:27 left to play. Less than four minutes later, Amy Smith (Logan Twp., N.J./Paulsboro) nailed her second three-point field goal of the contest to put Goucher back ahead by seven (40-33).

Arcadia threatened one more time, scoring eight straight points to knock an 11-point deficit down to 46-43 with 3:26 left to play, but Amber Smith turned her final steal into two points by making a lay-up with 3:09 showing on the clock.

The Gophers entered the final :40 having missed all nine of their free-throw attempts, but they ended the contest with six straight conversions to put the Knights away.

Sparks, who was coming off a 29-point effort in a 73-60 triumph over Penn St.-Berks and was averaging 17.7 points and 9.3 rebounds per game, finished with 17 points and 12 boards.