WESTMINSTER, Md. - The Green Terror took the lead early in the first quarter and continued to build on it throughout the game. Led by
Elaina Beckett and
Mallory Conroy, McDaniel pressured the Gophers all over the court and pulled away in the second half for back-to-back home victories.
The first quarter began with both teams trading baskets. Goucher got to the line early and kept the game close. With the score tied at 10-all,
Elaina Beckett found her rythym and scored seven of the next 10 points to stretch out the McDaniel lead. As time expired,
Meggie Burgess pulled up on a fast break and connected on a three-pointer to push the lead to 13 heading into the second quarter.
Julia Ryan hit back-to-back triples to open the second quarter, and McDaniel kept pushing forward and extending the lead. With the lead over 20 points, Conroy went to work in the paint and scored 10 of her 14 points to close out the period. With less than a minute left,
Bri Floyd stepped back behind the three-point line and banked in a shot to put the Green Terror up by 27 heading into the locker room. The first half was controlled by McDaniel from start to finish. Goucher could not handle the McDaniel press and were outscored 25-7 in points off turnovers.
As the third quarter began, Goucher started to claw back into the game. Kyla Smith who led the Gophers with 11 points converted a pair of free throws and finished a fast break layup to bring the Gophers back into it. However,
Elaina Beckett was much more aggressive in the second half and matched Smith early in the period to keep the lead above 20. Beckett finished with 20 points and 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season.
The Green Terror used their depth in the second half to keep the lead above 30 heading into the final period. McDaniel outscored Goucher 30-6 in bench points and controlled the paint with 40 points compared to the Gophers 16.
Jessica Weinoldt scored six points in the fourth quarter, and played great defense on Kyla Smith throughout the game. As time expired McDaniel came away victorious with an 81-41 win at home.
McDaniel returns to action on January 4th at Swarthmore. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 P.M.
