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JAN.
25 — Goshen Gets Close, But Can't Get SAU On Road
Spring
Arbor uses strong second half to edge out Leafs by 67-64
count |
Spring Arbor, MI — Prior to Tuesday
night’s tilt at Spring Arbor University, the Goshen College men’s
basketball team had a bit of a streak going: The squad had won its last
three contests, all of which took place at the Roman Gingerich Center.
In those three wins, the Leafs shot a total 90 of 160 from the field
(56.3 percent), winning by an average of 11.3 points per contest.
Nothing like a road game in the Mid-Central Conference to break
up the monotony.
Unable to truly find its rhythm on offense and seemingly
a bit sluggish on the defensive end throughout, Goshen could
not put its fourth consecutive win on the board in a 64-67 loss to the
Cougars at
Dunckel Fieldhouse Tuesday night. The Leafs were somehow able
to keep the game close despite shooting just three of 17 from behind the
arc (17.6
percent) and 17 of 26 at the free throw line (65.4 percent),
but in the end it was Spring Arbor’s solid second-half play that sealed the
win for the Cougars at home.
“We knew that this would be a tough game for us,” said Stan
Daugherty, Goshen head coach. “Spring Arbor has played everyone
well at their place. I thought we battled hard for the most part of the
night, but we
were just a step slow most of the game. In the end, we just didn’t
play with enough enthusiasm, effort and intensity to win on the
road in this conference.”
The game started as most MCC matches do, with both teams trading
the lead in a closely contested affair. Daugherty’s team jumped
ahead by a 4-0 score to open play, but the Cougars quickly jumped ahead
by three points just moments later. After three ties and two lead changes
that saw neither team lead by more than four points, it was Goshen (16-8,
5-5) that claimed a narrow 30-29 cushion at the intermission.
The second half began as a carbon copy of the first, as the Leafs
again opened a four-point spread just a minute into the action. When Spring
Arbor tied the score at 38-38 with 15:53 to play, however, the team was
able to build a substantial lead. An eight to one Cougar run over the
next two minutes made the score 46-39, Spring Arbor, and it appeared that
the host team would have some breathing room.
A hat-trick of inside scores by junior Jordan Buller, freshman
Brice Hartman and junior Eric Walsh quickly wiped away that lead,
though, and again it was Spring Arbor’s turn to respond. The Cougars
pushed a 46-45 lead into a 57-47 advantage in just four minutes,
and Daugherty’s
team called a timeout to talk things over.
Over the game’s next five minutes, Goshen could not put together
consecutive possessions to make much headway. Traded baskets
by both teams kept the Cougars advantage at no less than six points,
while a falling away 15-foot jumper by Spring Arbor’s Mike Folkert
made the score 67-57 with just 2:53 remaining. That score would
be the final point-getter
for Spring Arbor, however, and Goshen had one final push up its
sleeve.
Walsh converted a pair of free throws with 2:05 on the clock
to edge his team within eight points. A defensive stop and rebounding
foul gave sophomore Willie Frazier a pair of charity tosses, cutting the
Cougars’ lead to six. After Spring Arbor missed the front end of
a one and one opportunity, it was Buller that found himself open for a
three-pointer, which he calmly drained to make the score 67-64, Cougars.
The host squad then aided Goshen with another missed front-end free throw,
giving the Leafs a final look at a tie. Buller’s three-point attempt
at the buzzer was just long, however, and Spring Arbor had escaped with
the win in regulation.
“I was pleased to be up one at halftime, but I felt that we were
still not as sharp on offense or defense as we had been in the
last three games,” Daugherty said. “In the second half, we
were still sluggish on defense and Spring Arbor became more aggressive
driving the
ball. I thought they picked up the intensity at that point, and
we didn’t
match that until the end of the game. I was proud of how we didn’t
give up in the final three minutes. To cut the lead to three
and have the ball was a tribute to our effort not to give up. We’re
beginning to understand what it takes to win on the road in this league.
We now
just have to execute a bit better and bring maximum effort to
do so.”
Buller led the squad’s offensive causes with a team-high 21 points
on nine of 13 shooting. Walsh provided 18 points and five rebounds,
while Frazier tallied 15 points and seven boards. Goshen picked
up its shooting
effort in the second half (11 for 23, 47.8 percent) but could
not overcome its futility from the three-point line to grab the
win. Aside from Buller’s
three for six effort, the Leafs shot zero for 14 from three-point
land on the night.
“We had some really good looks at threes, and we just didn’t
hit them,” Daugherty said. “We have confident shooters. We
will bounce back.”
Goshen will next travel to Marian College for its longest MCC
road trip of the year on Saturday, as the Leafs will look to remain above
.500 in league play. Game time is set for 3 p.m. in Indianapolis. |
  Junior
Jordan Buller
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