Two Gophers in Double Figures Against Gators

BALTIMORE, MD - The Goucher College Gophers (4-6 overall; 1-3 conference) hosted the Gators of Notre Dame of Maryland University (4-6 overall; 1-0 conference) on Wednesday afternoon. In a hard-fought contest that came down to the final minutes, the Gators edged out the Gophers, 59-55.

Goucher opened the scoring by knocking down four 3-pointers in the first four minutes of play, two of which came from Chyanne Harris. The Gators responded with a three of their own before adding points at the free-throw line. The teams traded baskets for the remainder of the opening quarter, with the Gophers carrying an 18-13 advantage into the second.

The Gators opened the second quarter with a basket, but two minutes later, Lauryn Towns connected from beyond the arc to restore Goucher's lead. A nine-point run from the Gators swung the momentum, giving the visitors a 23-22 lead with 2:28 remaining in the half. Goucher closed the quarter strong, converting five free throws to reclaim a 27–25 lead heading into halftime.

Notre Dame (MD) once again struck first in the third quarter with a three-pointer, which Harris quickly answered. A basket from Sanai Knox ended the Gators' nine-point run and brought the Gophers within five with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter. Nia George drained a 3-pointer to cut into the deficit, but a 6-2 scoring run by Notre Dame (MD) gave the Gators a 43-37 edge entering the final quarter.

Aniya McDaniel began the scoring for Goucher in the fourth with back-to-back layups, and Knox followed with a basket to bring the game even at 43 early in the quarter. Baskets from Nia Edens and George put the Gophers back in front at the 7:03 mark. The teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes before Notre Dame (MD) closed the game on a seven-point run to secure the 59–55 victory.

McDaniel led the Gophers with 12 points, followed closely behind by Harris with 11 points. Leila Townsend and George both added three steals in the contest, while Knox dominated the glass with 15 rebounds. 

The teams were closely matched statistically, with Goucher shooting 29.5% in the contest, while the Gators shot 33.9%. From beyond the arc, Goucher held the advantage, going 8-26, while Notre Dame (MD) went 6-23. From the charity stripe, the Gophers finished 61.1%, while the Gators went 65.2%. The game consisted of seven lead changes and five ties. Notre Dame (MD) outrebounded Goucher 48-41.

The Gophers return to action on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 2 p.m., as they open the new year at the Decker Sports and Recreation Center.