BALTIMORE, MD (1/10/06)—“The girls lacked focus in the first 15 [minutes] of the game, which really hurt us. They (Goucher) were up 21-0 in the start of the half…” Coach Kylan Loney reflected as she mentally reviewed the Bison's 58-40 loss in conference play against host Goucher.
            In a sport where focus is critical in controlling tempo, mentality, and attitude, the Bison struggled in the first half, shooting 4-for-25, or a 16% rating.  Rising star freshman Brittainy Payne, who scored 25 points and pulled down 21 boards in the 2007 opener against Wilson College, was held to just 4 points in the first half.  She would eventually finish with 8 points and 14 boards.
            The Buff and Blue held the Gopher offense to just 20 points in the second half; Goucher had opened scoring 48%, and finished at 23%, thanks in large part to controlling Gopher Shadae Swan, who had 15 points in the first half, and managed only two in the second half.  The Bison doubled up on their field goal percentage, bouncing back from a 16% first half to a 30% second half. Gallaudet scored 32 points here, with senior guard Pia Marie Paulone leading the way, netting 13 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds and 2 steals.  Senior forward Jessica Salisbury backed up Payne's 14 boards with 10 of her own; the pair combined for 24 out of the team's 45 rebounds.
            Coach Loney closed her game re-cap: “We came out and played great defense the second half…we start the game better, and it's a different game.  I'm proud of the girls for sticking with it, they didn't stop playing and really tried to fight back.  We have a lot to work on but there were a lot of positives to take from tonight's game as well.”  Gallaudet (2-8, 0-3 CAC) travels to continue conference play against the University of Mary Washington Eagles (10-2, 2-1 CAC) on Saturday, January 13th.  The ball goes up at 2:00 p.m.