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OCT.
30 — Leafs Knock Out #26 Calumet 82-64 In Opener
Goshen
starts season with selfless play and hot shooting to upset Crimson
Wave |
Hammond,
IN — Playing in the country’s first game of the season
Saturday afternoon, the Goshen College men’s basketball team
became the first NAIA team to record a win in 2004-2005:
Goshen knocked off pre-season ranked 26th Calumet College
at the Hammond Civic Center,
marking the third straight season-opening defeat of the Crimson
Wave under head coach Stan Daugherty.
“Overall this was a good start to the season for us,” Daugherty said. “We
defended relatively well and blocked out well to help us get off to a good start,
and that keyed our transition game.”
With the 1 p.m. (central time) tip off, Saturday’s match up was the NAIA’s
first 2004-2005 regular season game to take place across the nation. Daugherty’s
team made sure to get off to a good start in its own right, opening with a 14
to three run in the first four minutes of action to capture a comfortable cushion.
The Leafs would eventually push their lead to 46-27 at the intermission behind
a 16 for 31 performance (52 percent) from the field.
“We shared the ball well and played selflessly throughout the game,” Daugherty
said. “We were able to handle Calumet’s pressure and get good looks
at the basket.”
And while Goshen’s shooting cooled in the second half (12 for 27, 44 percent),
the Leafs were able to maintain a comfortable lead throughout. Daugherty’s
team twice pushed its lead to 25 points in the second stanza, while Calumet was
not able to get closer than 15 points at any time.
Junior Eric Walsh paced five Leafs in double-figure scoring, tallying a game-high
21 points to go with 10 rebounds. Sophomore Matt Crawford knocked in 13 points,
while senior Paul Kopanski and junior Tyler Sheerer each recorded 11. Junior
Jordan Buller tallied 10 points and 10 assists in the win, grabbing four rebounds
as well.
For the game, Goshen outrebounded the Crimson Wave by a 35 to 26 count and held
Calumet to just a 23 for 60 (38 percent) clip from the floor.
“If there was one area that we need to perform better in, it would have
to be our free throw shooting (18 for 26, 69 percent),” Daugherty said. “If
we want to be competitive in our league, we’ll have to be better. Overall,
though, it was a solid start for our first game of the year.”
Goshen will next host the annual McDonald’s Maple City Hoopfest this weekend.
The Leafs will open the two-day event Friday evening, taking on Indiana University
East at 6 p.m. in the Roman Gingerich Center. Purdue University North Central
will take on Concordia University in the tournament’s second contest, slated
to begin at approximately 8 p.m.
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 Junior
Jordan Buller
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