The Seahawks (8-9, 4-3 CAC) took the lead for good on a three-point basket by Ryan Junghans that snapped an 8-8 tie with 14:25 remaining in the first half. With Ben Stewart and Jeffrey Turner scoring 10 points apiece, St. Mary's owned a 38-29 advantage at the break.
The Gophers (13-5, 4-3 CAC) trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half before a run of eight unanswered points midway through the half got them back in the game. Still, with 1:50 showing on the clock, they were losing by eight, 75-67.
A pair of lay-ups by Jermaine Saunders and two free throws by Garrett Smith allowed the Gophers to pull to within 75-73 with :54 remaining. The Seahawks committed a shot clock violation, giving the ball back to Goucher with :19 left to play.
Trevor Quinn was fouled on a move to the basket with :05 showing on the clock, but missed both free-throw attempts. He did, however, grab the rebound on the second miss and was fouled again. After two more misses, Jerome Habel pulled down the rebound for St. Mary's.
Smith finished with a game-high 25 points and Quinn turned in a 14-point, 11-rebound performance for Goucher, which had won its first eight games in the Sports & Recreation Center this season.
Stewart captured scoring honors for the Seahawks by knocking down 19 points.