Greyhounds Hold on for Landmark Conference Road Win at Goucher

TOWSON, Md. --- The Moravian University men's basketball team had an 18-point lead with just under 16 minutes remaining, and the Greyhounds would hold on against host Goucher College for a, 66-61, Landmark Conference win Wednesday evening. 

How It Happened

• The Gophers scored first before a jumper from junior guard C.J. Weber and a three-pointer by freshman forward Marquis Ratcliff had the Hounds up 5-2 and in the lead for the rest of the night with just over 17 minutes left in the opening half. The Blue and Grey had a 7-6 edge when the squad went on a 13-2 run to build a 20-8 advantage after a lay-up from junior guard Alex Dietz with 9:34 until the intermission
• Freshman guard Porter Kelly drained a three-pointer to make it 23-9, and he would hit a jumper with 1:55 before halftime for a 33-18 edge. Goucher scored the final four points of the half to cut Moravian's advantage to 33-22 as the squads headed for the locker room
• Ratcliff opened the second half with a lay-up, and the Greyhounds had an 18-point lead at 46-28 after sophomore guard/forward Michael Leonardo hit a jumper in the lane at the 15:51 mark. The Gophers answered with a 12-0 run to close within six points before junior forward Mike DiPietro hit a jumper to make it 48-40 Hounds midway through the second half
• Junior guard Mark Howell connected on a fast break lay-up as Moravian pushed the edge back to 12 points at 52-40. Goucher got within five points before the Blue and Grey had the lead return to double digits at 61-51 with 2:58 to play after Ratcliff sank a free throw. The Gophers continued to chip away at the lead and were within just two points at 63-61 with 53 seconds remaining. Weber hit a jumper and Leonardo sank a free throw to seal the win for the Hounds

Inside the Numbers

• Moravian had two players in double figures led by Kelly, who netted a career-high 23 points to go with six rebounds, three assists and three steals as he connected on 5-of-9 shots beyond the three-point line. Ratcliff finished fourth double-double of the winter as he scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 18 rebounds while blocking three shots
• Leonardo contributed nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocked shots while Weber had seven points and two assists. Dietz added five points while DiPietro had four points and three boards
• Howell and sophomore forward Nate Santiago each recorded two points and had three rebounds while freshman forward Uma Kalu grabbed four boards and blocked two shots
• The Greyhounds were 26-for-62 from the field and 8-for-21 beyond the three-point arc while shooting just 6-for-22 at the charity stripe
• The Blue and Grey finished the night with a 51-44 edge on the boards

Up Next for the Greyhounds

• Saturday, January 21 at Susquehanna University, 4:00 p.m.
• Wednesday, January 25 vs. The University of Scranton, 7:00 p.m.