Russo actually missed his first five shots and didn't score his first points until he dropped in a layup that allowed the Gophers (0-5) to close to within 29-27 with 5:32 remaining in the first half. His layup with 2:23 showing on the clock put Goucher ahead for the first time at 35-34, but the Battling Bishops (1-3) regained the lead (41-40) when Jarmel Arrington converted a pair of free throws as time expired to end the first half.
Goucher trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half, but when Jonathan Garritt hit a free throw with 1:11 remaining, the deficit was down to four points at 88-84. The Battling Bishops closed out the game with six unanswered points as the Gophers went 0-for-4 from the field.
Lenny Hall was the leading scorer for North Carolina Wesleyan as he tallied 17 of his 22 points in the second half. Mathias Haut contributed 17 points to the victory.
Russo was 12-for-28 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 at the free-throw stripe. He landed three shots from three-point range, boosting his total to 22 three-pointers for the season.
Russo's 33 points are the most by a Goucher player since Bakari Ward erupted for 35 points against Gallaudet on Feb. 2, 1998. The school record for most points in a game is 38 by David Clark against Mary Washington on Feb. 15, 1992.
The junior guard also was credited with a career-high 11 rebounds and seven steals.
Tim Merritt and Ryan Moreland of the Gophers also established career-high totals for points by knocking down 15 and 10, respectively.