Ezeani Breaks Record for FG%, Gophers Improve to 2-0

TOWSON, Md. — Briana Bull (Baltimore, Md./Owings Mills) poured in a game-high 26 points and Amaka Ezeani (Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch) broke a school record that had stood for more than 20 years by making eight of the nine shots she attempted from the field as Goucher defeated Roanoke, 78-65, this evening in the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.

Both teams led by as many as five points in the first half. A driving layup by Bull that beat the buzzer by less than two seconds provided head coach Patrick Daniels' squad with a 31-29 advantage at the break.

Throughout the third quarter, Goucher's lead fluctuated between two and six points. Roanoke had a chance to close to within one in the closing seconds of the period, but Bridget Holleran was off the mark on both of her free-throw shots. The Gophers (2-0) capitalized on the misses as Ecstacie Ryles (Arundel Mills, Md./Arundel) grabbed the rebound after the second attempt, and with :03 showing on the clock, Joyce Woolen (Trumbull, Conn./Trumbull) found Kristi Kozlowski (Kingsville, Md./Redeemer Classical Christian) down low and the freshman forward knocked down a wide-open jumper just ahead of the buzzer, giving the home team a 49-44 edge on the scoreboard.

Ezeani, who entered the fourth quarter with 10 points on 5-for-5 shooting, made a conventional three-point play on Goucher's first possession of the period. She improved to 7-for-7 by converting a jumper in the paint with 7:49 remaining.

The senior center's only miss against the Maroons (0-2) was on a short jumper with 6:59 left to play. By hitting her final shot of the contest on the Gophers' next possession, she finished with an .889 field-goal percentage, breaking the previous record of .867 established in 1994 by Cassandra Clemons, who went 13-for-15 from the field in a game against St. John Fisher.

In addition to her 26 points, Bull supplied the victorious Gophers with five rebounds, eight assists and four steals.

Goucher had a third double-digit scorer in Kozlowski, who finished with 10 points. India Perkins (Brentwood, Md./Bladensburg) grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

"Very good team win," Daniel said after the game. "Loved the total team effort in the second half defensively and being patient on offense. Bri Bull played an exceptional second half and Amaka dominated the paint the entire game.

"There is still a lot of room for us to improve, but this win feels good and I am really proud of this team."

Both of the wins the Gophers (2-0) have picked up so far this season have been over teams from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. They will go after a third win this coming Saturday when they travel to Reading, Pa. to take on Penn State-Berks out of the North Eastern Athletic Conference at 1 p.m.