Kocak, Griffith Lead Eagles at Goucher

Baltimore, Md.- The Juniata men's basketball team couldn't quite complete the comeback as they lost on the road at Goucher, 66-59, Saturday afternoon. 

Malcolm Griffith tallied 12 points, six rebounds, and four steals, while Ty Kocak totaled 13 points, seven rebounds, and four assists. Joe Bruce contributed eight points, four assists, four steals, and three rebounds. Noah Bailey added 11 points, two rebounds,s and a block off the bench. 

Two Kocak foul shots, a Griffith jumper, and another from Jayden Bilger off a Bruce assist made it 6-4 in the first four minutes. 

The Gophers retook the lead with just over six minutes to play at 15-14, and the teams traded buckets for a bit. Tre Yawn converted inside off an assist from Melchizedek Jonah, which gave Juniata a one-point lead with two and a half to go. 

The Gophers closed out the half on a 7-0 run, as Juniata trailed by six, 27-21, at the half. 

Juniata cut the deficit to five several times in the first few minutes of the second half, but the Gophers managed to respond to keep JC at bay. 

Trailing by as many as 11 in the final two minutes, Juniata ramped up the pressure. A 9-2 run, featuring threes from Kocak and Bruce, along with free throws from Yawn and Koca,k brought the Eagles within four with just under a minute to go. But JC ran out of time, as the Gophers made enough foul shots to ice the game. 

Goucher had a 43-29 advantage on the glass, while JC had a 23-13 edge in points off turnovers. 

Juniata returns home to face off against Lycoming on Wednesday at 7:00.