The Gophers took a 38-32 lead at halftime, thanks in large part to the hot shooting of sophomore guard James Russo. Russo scored 15 points in the half, all from downtown, as he was 5-10 from behind the arc.
The Seahawks came out in the second half and erased the six-point halftime deficit with a 6-0 run. The teams traded baskets over the next couple of minutes before the Seahawks took the lead for good in the contest with a three-pointer from senior forward John Dewey.
The lead would grow to as much as 11 points a couple of different times in the half, but Goucher would not surrender. The Gophers narrowed the lead to as little as six points at 79-73 with 1:03 remaining and began to foul to extend the game. The Seahawks answered by hitting 10 of 14 free throws in the final minute of the contest to seal the victory.
The Seahawks had five players reach double figures in the contest. Dewey and fellow senior forward Jeffrey Turner made it a memorable Senior Night, as each added a team-high 19 points in the contest. Sophomore guard Dan Engelstad added 16 points and a game-high tying six assists with five rebounds. Junior guard Ben Stewart chipped in with 14 points and six boards, while freshman guard T.J. Jordan added 11 points and six rebounds.
For the Gophers, senior forward/center Garrett Smith posted game-highs with 30 points and 17 rebounds. Russo added 22 points, with seven in the second half, while senior forward Trevor Quinn added 16 points, eight rebounds, and five assists before fouling out of the contest. Junior guard Jonathan Garritt added six points, with six rebounds and a game-high tying six assists.
The Seahawks played the contest without the services of freshman center Jerome Habel. Habel left the team earlier in the week due to personal reasons.
The Seahawks will return to action on Saturday, February 19, when they travel to Salisbury University for another CAC contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Newspaper Box Score Goucher vs St. Mary's (Md.) 02/16/05 8:00 p.m. at ARC Arena, St. Mary's City, Md. At ARC Arena, St. Mary's City, Md. ST. MARY'S (MD.) 89, GOUCHER 80 GOUCHER (16-8, 7-6 CAC) Garrett Smith 13-20 4-7 30; James Russo 6-14 0-0 17; Trevor Quinn 7-10 1-2 16; Jonathan Garritt 2-12 2-2 6; Cameron Brown 2-10 2-4 6; Tony Posteraro 1-2 0-0 3; Jermaine Saunders 1-11 0-0 2; Tim Merritt 0-2 0-0 0; Justin Ajose 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-81 9-15 80. ST. MARY'S (MD.) (11-12, 7-6 CAC) Jeffrey Turner 8-12 3-6 19; John Dewey 7-12 3-4 19; Dan Engelstad 4-6 8-9 16; Ben Stewart 3-9 7-10 14; T.J. Jordan 4-9 2-2 11; Ryan Carr 2-2 0-0 4; Ryan Junghans 0-1 3-3 3; Darren Johnson 1-1 1-2 3; Tommy Bushell 0-1 0-0 0; Matthew LeVine 0-0 0-0 0; Kyle Sullivan 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 29-54 27-36 89. Goucher....................... 38 42 - 80 St. Mary's (Md.).............. 32 57 - 89 3-point goals-Goucher 7-20 (James Russo 5-11; Tony Posteraro 1-2; Trevor Quinn 1-3; Cameron Brown 0-2; Jonathan Garritt 0-2), St. Mary's (Md.) 4-13 (John Dewey 2-3; T.J. Jordan 1-4; Ben Stewart 1-4; Jeffrey Turner 0-2). Fouled out--Goucher-Trevor Quinn, St. Mary's (Md.)-None. Rebounds-Goucher 47 (Garrett Smith 17), St. Mary's (Md.) 35 (T.J. Jordan 6; Ben Stewart 6). Assists-Goucher 15 (Jonathan Garritt 6), St. Mary's (Md.) 12 (Dan Engelstad 6). Total fouls-Goucher 24, St. Mary's (Md.) 18. A-350