Gophers Tie Single-Game Standard with 60 Rebounds
TOWSON, Md. — Alex Noble (Clinton, Md./Surrattsville) became the first player in the history of Goucher's men's basketball team to score 40 points in a game when he registered a double-double of 40 points and 10 rebounds in leading the Gophers past Rutgers-Camden, 94-66, tonight in the Decker Sports & Recreation Center.
The freshman guard furnished the Gophers (3-8), who were playing their final non-conference game of the season, with 11 points in the first half, but over the final 20 minutes, he was 7-for-12 from the field, including 5-for-8 on 3-point attempts, and 10-of-11 at the free-throw stripe as he added 29 points to his total.
During one stretch of less than four minutes in the second half, Noble single-handedly turned a 64-55 lead into an 83-57 advantage by personally outscoring the Scarlet Raptors (2-8), 19-2. It began with him knocking down 3-pointers on three successive possessions and also tacking on a free throw after being fouled on the third basket, and then sinking two more free throws. After Josh Stevens made a basket for Rutgers-Camden with 5:15 left to play, Noble made seven additional free throws in a span of 28 seconds.
Before tonight, three Goucher players had scored 38 points in a game. The first to do so was David Clark against Mary Washington on Feb. 15, 1992, and then James Russo (Feb. 15, 2006) and Pierre Jones (Jan. 23, 2007) matched the achievement, both times while the Gophers were taking on St. Mary's (Md.).
The first half of tonight's contest featured six ties and 11 lead changes, but the Gophers went ahead to stay on a basket by Noble that made the score 35-34 with 6:53 remaining. By the end of the period, Goucher had pulled in front by nine, 46-37.
The Gophers missed eight of their first nine shots to start the second half, but the Scarlet Raptors only got as close as 48-43 on a 3-point basket by Anthony Solano. Solano was the only double-digit scorer for Rutgers-Camden as he made six shots from 3-point range and finished with 18 points.
As a team, the Gophers tied the single-game school record for rebounds, winning that battle, 60-39. The 60 rebounds equals the mark established against Washington Bible in 1991 and matched against Philadelphia Biblical in 2000. The turned their 20 offensive boards against Rutgers-Camden into 22 second-chance points.
Noble wasn't the only player for Goucher to record a double-double as Manney Wood (Washington, D.C./C. H. Flowers) came off the bench to score 14 points and grab 11 boards. Trae Lindsay (Baltimore, Md./Patapsco) was credited with 10 rebounds.