LANGHORNE, Pa. – Dwayne Morton (Baltimore, Md/Waynesville [Mo.]) scored a career-high 37 points to power Goucher College past Cairn University 96-90 in non-conference men's basketball action on Monday afternoon.
Morton shot 13-for-20 from the floor, 9 of 10 from behind the arc and 2 of 2 from the free throw line to establish a new career high with 37 points and notch his second career 30-point performance. His 37 points are the second most only to Alex Noble's 40 points against Rutgers-Newark on February 2, 2012 since the Gophers joined the Landmark Conference and the fifth-most in program history. The nine triples are one made 3-ball from both a Goucher and conference record after the Gophers James Russo made 10 treys against the Ozarks on January 5, 2007 and Susquehanna's Brandon Hedley connected on 10 3-balls against Elizabethtown on February 21, 2015.
Morton added five rebounds and four steals in the win. Morton, who had 31 points against Drew on February 2, now has eight games with 20 points or more and 42 games in double figures in points. The senior is now four points from 900 career points.
Morton wasn't the only player that destroyed his career best on the day after Pat Goralski (Pasadena, Md./Chesapeake) notched his first career 20-point game and finished the contest with 26 points, six rebounds and a career-best eight assists. While Morton did his damage from behind the arc, Goralski's inside presence helped him to a career day. The senior went 10-for-12 from the field and 6 of 9 from the free throw line on his way to breaking his previous high of 17 points scored in the season opener against Valley Forge on November 8. Goralski, who now has 16 career double-figure games and five this season, recorded double figures for the first time in six games.
Cam Isaacs (Randallstown, Md./Randallstown) registered 10 points, six rebounds and three assists. The sophomore, who has registered double figures in three-straight games for the first time in his career, has seven 10+ point games this season and 17 for his career. Isaacs, Goralski and Morton are the only players on the team to post a 20-point performance and the trio has posted at least one 20+ game in the last three tilts.
Timmy O'Farrell (Davidsonville, Md./Archbishop Spalding) added 11 points off the bench in 31 minutes. It is his fifth double-figure point game of his career and his first since posting a career-high 14 points against Juniata on January 30.
Trailing 38-36 going into the locker room, Morton keyed a 14-5 run with 11 of the 14 points after Isaacs also hit a trey In the surge to give the Gophers the lead for good at 50-41 with 17:22 left.
The Highlanders rallied to trim the margin to 61-60 with 11:55 remaining only to see Morton score the next five points and Goraski registered four-straight points to give Goucher a 70-60 lead with 9:42 on the clock.
Cairn cut the margin to 78-74 thanks to a 14-8 run with 3:23 remaining before Goralski made 3 of 4 at the line to help the Gophers score 13 of the next 18 points for a 91-82 edge with 55 ticks left. The senior had eight points in the surge in the 96-90 win.
The first half was closely contested with Goucher holding the edge for most of the period. With the game tied at 11, O'Farrell sparked a 7-0 run to give the visitors an 18-11 lead with 12:50 remaining in the half. After the Highlanders tied the game at 28, Morton connected on consecutive 3's for a 34-28 edge with 3:18 left. Cairn closed the half on a 10-2 run to take a 38-36 lead at the break, but a 60-point second half outburst and a combined 42 points from Goralski and Morton powered the Gophers to the victory.
It was the first time two players scored 20 points in a game since Morton (20 points) and Gabe Cerebelli (23 points) each reached the mark against Catholic on January 23.
The 60 points scored in the second half are the most since the Gophers posted 57 points against Mount Aloysius on November 27, 2016.
Head coach Tom Rose has had a player hit 30 points in a game five times with Morton and Kevin Miles are the two players to turn the trick under the coach. Twelve times a player has posted a 30-point performance dating back to the 2009-10.
Goucher scored over 80 points for the second time this season and a season-high 96 points on Monday. Both 80-point games have occurred in the state of Pennsylvania.
The Gophers return to action in the New Year with its final non-conference game of the season against Gallaudet University at home on January 8. Game time is 7 p.m.