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JAN.
8 — Fifth-Ranked Foresters Too Much For Leafs
Battered
Goshen team brings effort, but not best offensive game
in 64-84 loss |
Huntington, IN — Saturday afternoon
at the Huntington College Merillat Complex, the Goshen College men’s
basketball team was able to stay within striking distance of the fifth-ranked
Foresters for about eight minutes of action.
Then the laws of mathematics took over.
Goshen (13-6, 3-3) could only convert nine of 28 shots from the
field (32.1 percent) in the first half, while Huntington heated up to
a 14 for 29 effort (48.3 percent) — including a five for nine clip
from behind the three-point arc (55.6 percent) — in taking a 37-24
lead at the intermission. That gap proved too great for the Leafs, as
a 15 for 31 effort from the field in the second period (48.4 percent)
was no match for the Foresters’ 17 of 25 second-half performance
(68 percent), as Huntington cruised to an 84-64 win.
“We didn’t shoot the ball well, and Huntington had a lot to
do with that,” said Stan Daugherty, Goshen head coach. “Our
inconsistency on offense put more pressure on us defensively, and Huntington
was able
to get out more in transition as a result of our missed shots.”
A Goshen win on Saturday would have given the team a share of
the Mid-Central Conference lead, and it looked early on that the Leafs
were focused on accomplishing just that. Huntington took an early 3-0
lead but Goshen stayed with the Foresters, connecting on four of its first
13 shots to trail by just a point with 12:52 to play in the first period.
It was then that the Foresters put on an 11 to none run over the game’s
next two and a half minutes to capture a 22-10 lead. Goshen played the
Foresters nearly even to finish the half, but the damage had been done.
“Huntington is such an explosive team, especially at home, that
it’s tough to fall behind by more than 10 points and feel really
confident,” Daugherty said. “We knew we would have to play
really, really well in the second half to have a chance down
the stretch.”
Early on in the second period, it looked like Huntington might
blow things open. The Foresters pushed its lead to 20 points — a
49-29 advantage — just five minutes into the period. Daugherty’s
team did not panic, however, and was able to cut the deficit to 11 points
on five occasions in the second half. Unfortunately, that’s as close
as the Leafs would get, as Huntington again found its offensive rhythm
down the stretch to reclaim a 20-point cushion.
Goshen was able to get off five more shots than the Foresters
behind a 17 to seven advantage in the offensive rebound category, but
could not help itself at the free throw line: The Leafs converted just
11 of 25 charity tosses (44 percent) and made just five of 16 three-point
tries (31.3 percent) in the game.
“We made some nice runs at them in the second half, but ultimately
couldn’t consistently execute on offense,” Daugherty said. “When
we shoot that poorly from the field and at the free throw line,
it’s
going to be difficult to win on the road in the conference.”
Senior Paul Kopanski led the offensive charge for the Leafs,
scoring 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds in 26 minutes of work. Junior
Eric Walsh scored 13 to go with six boards, while freshman Tyler Stotler
added 11 on four of nine shooting.
Daugherty’s team suffered yet another blow on the injury front as
sophomore guard David Haire — coming off a career-high 17 points
against Bethel College on Tuesday — was unavailable to play in the
second half after re-aggravating a hamstring injury in the first
half of play Saturday. Haire made his only shot of the game
against Huntington, a three-pointer
at the 12:52 mark in the first half, and will see an orthopedic
surgeon on Monday for a second opinion on the nagging injury.
Daugherty has already
lost sophomore swing Matt Crawford for the season to a torn ACL.
Crawford underwent reconstructive surgery on Thursday and is
recovering on schedule,
according to team physicians.
Goshen’s tests get no easier, as the team will travel to Upland,
Ind. Tuesday night for a match-up with 15th-ranked Taylor University.
Game time is slated for 7 p.m.
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  Senior
Paul Kopanski
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