The Moravian College men's basketball team defeated Landmark Conference foe Goucher College 91-68 Saturday afternoon. The Greyhounds were led by junior guard D.J. Strayhorn, who finished with 24 points, six assists and four steals.
Sophomore guard Dylan Chaney got the Gophers on the board first with a layup, but Strayhorn answered with a fade away jumper to knot the game at two. With 16:13 left on the clock, senior forward Marcus Cotton would put Goucher up 10-6, but with a layup from sophomore forward Cameron Cullen and a three-pointer from junior guard Garrett Johnson, Moravian would retake the lead at 11-10 with just under 15 minutes to go.
Johnson would hit two more three-pointers as the Greyhounds went up 19-14 with 12:30 left in the half. Goucher would fight back and retake the lead at 8:46 after a layup from senior guard Shane Yambor. Cullen would respond with a deep three, but Yambor was right there to match him with a three-pointer of his own. The two teams would keep exchanging leads until senior forward Jeff Cullinan drained a three to give Moravian a 35-34 lead with 35 seconds remaining in the half. Cullinan would make two free throws on the next possession to give the Greyhounds a 37-34 lead at halftime.
Moravian shot 38.9 percent from the field, but went 5-for-12 from behind the arc. Goucher shot 46.7 percent from the field in the first half. Leading the way for the Greyhounds in the first half was Johnson with 11 points and three boards while freshman guard Richard Harris led the Gophers with eight points and four rebounds.
Cullinan would start the second half with a three-pointer to put the Hounds up 40-34. Harris of Goucher would answer back with a three of his own a minute later. Senior guard Aaron Thieme responded right back with a three as the Greyhounds went up 43-39 two minutes into the half.
Cotton would cut Moravian's lead back to three points after he drained a three of his own. Strayhorn answered right back with another three to put the Hounds up 48-42 four minutes into the half. With a layup from Cullen on the next possession, Moravian would go up 50-42 with 15:18 remaining in the contest.
Both teams would exchange baskets for the next four minutes when Strayhorn hit the fade away jumper to put the Greyhounds up 62-49 with 11:20 left in the game. Cotton would come back with a layup while drawing the foul. He wouldn't convert on the free throw as the score remained 62-51 at the 11 minute mark. Harris would hit a jumper on the next possession to cut the Hounds lead back to single digits at 62-53.
After a block by senior forward Marcus Hardy, freshman guard Izel Dickerson would come back the other way with a layup and a foul. He would convert on the free throw to give Moravian a 65-53 lead with ten minutes left in the second half. After the teams exchanged some basket Moravian would go on a 10-0 to take a commanding 81-59 lead with just under five minutes left in the game. The Greyhounds would go onto win 91-68 for their second straight victory.
Cullen and Johnson both finished with 13 points while Thieme had eight points and eight rebounds. Hardy tallied up nine rebounds, six points and four assists while Cullinan had eight points and three boards.
Leading the way for the Gophers was Harris with 21 points, six rebounds and three steals. Cotton finished with 11 points, five boards and three steals while sophomore forward Manny Wood had 11 points and four rebounds.
Moravian shot a season best 17-for-17 from the free throw line, and they shot 42.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from behind the arc. Goucher shot 44.1 percent from the field. The Greyhounds held the edge in rebounds at 51 to 32.
Moravian travels to Kean University on Monday, January 9 for a non-conference game. The contest is scheduled for 7 p.m.
