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NOV.
27 — Goshen Gets Big Stop In Offensive Showdown
Leafs
rely on defense to beat Tri-State 89-88; Crawford suffers knee
injury |
Goshen,
IN — Facing a Tri-State University team that averaged 103 points
per game coming into Saturday’s game against Goshen College,
who would have thought that in the end the game would come
down to three minutes of scoreless basketball and a big defensive
stop to
secure the win?
Ironic, yet true.
Goshen (8-3, 0-1) was able to outlast the visiting Thunder in a frantic game
thanks in large part to key defensive plays down the stretch in an 89-88 win
that left the holiday weekend crowd nearly as exhausted as the players at the
conclusion. Fans witnessed 145 total shots go up — including 65 three-point
attempts — between the teams, as the Leafs were able to cling to a nearly
game-long lead in snapping a two-game losing skid in their first home game in
17 days. It was all enough to leave Goshen head coach Stan Daugherty fatigued,
yet grateful following the Thanksgiving holiday.
“I was proud of our effort in an unusual style of game,” Daugherty
said. “I think that this game helped with our conditioning following a
short holiday break, because of the frenetic pace it was played at. It was a
good win against a tough team that plays extremely hard on both ends of the court.”
Tri-State’s full-court pressing, shoot-more-threes-than-twos philosophy
stunned Daugherty’s team at the outset, as Goshen fell behind by a 13-2
score just one and a half minutes into the game. The count was 19-7 at the 16:43
point, but the Leafs then began to calm down. A 13 to two Leafs run over the
next three minutes gave Goshen a 22-21 lead, the first of five lead changes that
would take place over the following six minutes of play. Daugherty’s team
then captured a 39-38 advantage with 6:15 to play in the first period, a lead
they would not relinquish for the rest of the game, though pushed awfully close.
After a made jumper by sophomore Matt Crawford at the halftime buzzer, the Leafs
led by a 56-51 score at the intermission.
With fans believing they would see the century mark reached by both teams,
the shooting percentages cooled in the second half. After connecting on 20
of 32
first half field goals (62.5 percent), Goshen connected on just 14 of 32 in the
second period (43.8 percent). Tri-State’s numbers went down as well, making
20 of 42 (47.6 percent) in the first half but only managing 13 makes on 39 tries
(33.3 percent) in the second.
With the offensive firepower dying down on each end — Daugherty would cite
players’ fatigue as reasoning — possessions became larger in importance.
Tri-State cut Goshen’s lead to as little as two points on six different
occasions in the second half, but each time Goshen had an answer. Three three-point
field goals from junior Tyler Sheerer in a four-minute stretch gave Goshen an
88-81 lead with 4:10 remaining in the game. Amazingly, Sheerer’s final
three-ball would be the last field goal the Leafs would score in the game, as
senior Paul Kopanski’s free throw with 3:06 on the game clock would be
the last point Goshen would score.
“If someone would have told me that we wouldn’t score in the last
three minutes of the game against this Tri-State team, I wouldn’t have
believed we would have a chance to win,” Daugherty said. “That says
a lot about our defensive resolve and competitiveness.”
Over the last 3:06, Goshen held the Thunder to just five points on one of five
shooting. After a pair of free throws at the 2:38 point and a three-pointer at
the 2:18 mark, Goshen held the Thunder scoreless in the last two minutes. With
an 89-88 lead in hand, Daugherty’s team needed a defensive stop with 25
seconds to play. Sophomore Willie Frazier was able to contest Tri-State’s
Micah Williams’ jumper with nine seconds left, and Goshen secured the rebound.
“I thought it was ironic that a game like this would come down to solid
defense in the last few minutes to limit their scoring,” Daugherty said. “I
thought as the game went on both teams got tired. Shots we normally make didn’t
go in, and we had to rely on our defense to win. I was very proud of our effort.”
Junior Eric Walsh led the way for Goshen, tallying a game-high 25 points on 10
of 19 shooting. Frazier came up with a big game off the bench, scoring 17 on
a seven of nine effort from the floor. Crawford tallied 14 points, while Kopanski
charted 11 to go with a game-high eight rebounds. Goshen’s resolve was
enough to overcome 27 turnovers — the most committed by any Daugherty-led
team in his four years at Goshen.
And, while the win was big for the Leafs, it did come with a price. Crawford
went down awkwardly while going in for a layup early in the second half, hyper-extending
his right knee in the process. Initial examination lead doctors to believe that
Crawford has torn cartilage, though the extent will not be determined until he
undergoes an MRI on Tuesday. Results will be available Wednesday.
“How long Matt is out is reliant upon the severity of the cartilage tear,” said
Bill Kinsey, Goshen College head athletic trainer. “Depending on how severe
the tear is, doctors will either recommend surgery immediately or allow Matt
to play the remainder of the season without further procedure. We will know more
after the MRI results are back.”
Crawford averaged 10.1 points per game in Goshen’s first 11 contests, starting
in each game.
“Matt’s injury is obviously a concern for us, but in the mean time
we’ll have to have others step up to help fill his role,” Daugherty
said. “Matt worked extremely hard on strength and conditioning this summer.
All we can do now is hope that his off-season work might help to limit the severity
of this injury.”
Goshen will not have long to prepare for its next game, as the Leafs will return
to Mid-Central Conference play Tuesday night, when the team hosts first-year
league member Spring Arbor University. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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 Sophomore
Matt Crawford
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