Junior forward Frank Jackson broke the ice when he swooped through the lane for a nifty layup 2:23 into the contest, giving the hosts an early 2-0 advantage. The lead grew to nine when Stern drained one of his seven from behind the arc midway through the opening session. Goucher sliced the advantage to 39-35 when sophomore forward Cameron Brown put home an errant shot just before the break.
The visitors took a 46-45 lead when Brown connected on a pair from the charity stripe. Shortly thereafter, the contest was delayed when an unruly Goucher fan refused to leave the court after making a remark directed at an official. When play resumed, the Gophers extended the advantage to 66-60. The Bison retaliated, reeling off an 8-0 run and regaining the lead when senior forward Bradley Miller sank a pair of free throws. The teams traded baskets before Gopher senior forward Garrett Smith stepped to the line and knocked down the front end of a one-for-one, giving the visitors a 73-72 lead with 2:33 remaining.
Smith followed with a layup and a pair of free throws, giving the Gophers a five-point advantage. Haney nailed a running one-hander in the paint to make it a three-point affair with seven seconds left. The Bison were forced to foul and Goucher sophomore guard James Russo hit one of two free throws sealing the win and setting the score at 78-74. Jackson finished with 13 points while Miller added 12 for the Bison. Russo paced the Gophers with 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting, while Brown and senior guard Jermaine Saunders tallied 17 and 14 points, respectively. With the loss, Gallaudet dropped to 4-12 overall and 0-7 in league play, while Goucher improved to 14-5 and 5-3.
The Bison return to action against visiting non-conference foe Christendom College on Monday at 8 p.m.