The Elizabethtown College men’s basketball team cruised to a victory over the Goucher College Gophers in Thompson Gymnasium Saturday, Feb. 10.
The crowd roared as seniors Will Jackson and Matt Brickman were introduced as two members of the starting five for Etown for the first time in their careers. The Blue Jays used that energy to their advantage and were off and running straight from the tip-off as they bolted to an eight point lead only six minutes into the game. A late push in the first half led by junior Brandon Berry put Etown up 43-25 going into the break.
The first half did not go as well for Goucher. The Blue Jays’ defense held them to only 12 points for the first ten minutes, and 25 points at the half. Etown’s head coach Britt Moore noted the team’s effort.
“We dug in on D…that was a separator,” Moore said. Etown’s defense challenged shots, communicated, and added a few blocks to their start line as well.
In the second half, the seniors checked back into the game and Jackson made a big splash hitting a three from the corner. He later expressed his thoughts on the shot.
“It encapsulated my time at Etown. It’s been a great time with great teammates,” he said. Additionally, he mentioned coach Schlosser and coach Moore, thanking them for their leadership during his college career. Jackson finished the game with seven points, three rebounds and an assist.
Brickman ended the game with three points, four rebounds, and an assist. He is starting to realize his time as an Etown basketball player is coming to a close.
“We’ve talked about it. You have to soak up the time you have left,” he said.
Senior Day was one of those moments to soak up, as the Blue Jays maintained control of the game in the second half led by junior Matt Thomas, who finished with a career high 18 points. Berry added 15 and sophomore Connor Moffatt managed a double-double, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the 92-75 victory.
This win broke a three-game losing streak for Etown, with losses to Drew University, Moravian College and Juniata College. During this tough string of games, Etown played a Drew team that they battled to the final minutes, a Moravian team that shot over 60 percent from the field and a second-ranked Juniata team they led at halftime. While the season hasn’t entirely gone the way Etown would have hoped, Moore is optimistic and remains focused on the next couple of games.
“We’re a young team. You could throw your hands up and say the season is over… or use these games to propel into next year.”
The Blue Jays close out the season with away games against Catholic University of America and Susquehanna University. They play Susquehanna Saturday, Feb.17, at 2 p.m.
