BETHLEHEM, Pa. --- The Moravian College men's basketball team used a quick start to the second half and a balanced scoring attack to earn a 96-55 victory over visiting Goucher College in Landmark Conference action Thursday evening in Johnston Hall.
The Greyhounds, who scored 57 points in the second half, won their fifth straight game to improve to 16-6 overall and 8-3 in Landmark Conference play with the victory. The contest was played a night after it was originally scheduled due to the weather.
"I thought it was another good team effort, and our depth helped us again," stated Head Coach Justin Potts. "We didn't shoot the ball great early. I give Goucher credit, they did some good things against our pressure. We got into a good groove in the second half. I thought we played a little bit more complete in the second half. It was good to get a win and now onto the next one."
Moravian had four players in double figures led by junior guard Jimmy Murray, who tossed in a team-high 19 points to go with four rebounds and three assists, while sophomore guard Elijah Davis had 18 points, five steals and four boards. Junior forward Oneil Holder added 15 points and a team-leading six rebounds while freshman guard Shon Wilson scored a career-high 10 points with two steals and a pair of blocked shots.
Senior guard Matt Cardonne, junior guard Nicholas Casazza and sophomore forward C.J. Barnes all scored six points with Casazza and Cardone each adding two rebounds. Sophomore guard Mike Martino had five points, seven assists, five steals and three boards while freshman guard Keith Otto had five points and a pair of rebounds. Senior forward Khalil Rhett and sophomore forward Addis Ralph each contributed five rebounds and two points while junior guard Will Brazukas had two points and a pair of assists in his return to the line-up from an injury. Senior forward Aaron Brown added four rebounds and a pair of assists.
The Hounds connected on 58 percent of their shots in the second half to finish 37-of-76 for the game (48.7 percent) and 14-of-37 beyond the three-point line. Moravian also connected on 8-of-10 free throws while posting a 45-35 advantage on the boards. The Blue and Grey's pressure defense forced Goucher into 28 turnovers in the contest.
The Gophers score the opening basket but Barnes hit a lay-up as the Hounds moved in front and Murray connected on a three-pointer for a 7-3 edge. Goucher answered with an 8-0 run to build an 11-7 advantage with just over 13 minutes left in the first half. The Gophers would stretch the lead to five points at 15-10 at the 10:47 mark before an 8-0 run from the Blue and Grey had Moravian up 18-15 with 9:14 left until the intermission.
Goucher had a 6-0 run to move back in front before Casazza knotted the score at 23-23 on a three-pointers. The Gophers moved back up by four points, 27-23, with 3:46 left in the half. The Greyhounds finished the half with a 16-6 run to head to the locker room with a 39-33 advantage after a three-pointer from Casazza in the final minute of the half.
The Greyhounds started the second half with an 11-0 run as a lay-up from Holder had the Hounds leading 50-33 with 16:46 still to play. The advantage reached 20 points, 58-38, on a lay-up from Holder at the 13:52 mark, and a three-pointer by Murray at 11:02 pushed the edge past 30 points at 69-38. Wilson put the lead to 40 points, 86-46, with a lay-up off of a steal with four minutes remaining.
Moravian is slated to return to action on Saturday, February 10 when the squad hosts Juniata College in a Landmark Conference game beginning at 2:00 p.m. in Johnston Hall as the third contest in a four-game home stand. Saturday will also be the Greyhounds' annual Alumni Game, which is scheduled for 10:30 a.m.
