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DEC.
8 — Bid For Perfect MCC Start Falls Short Against IWU
Leafs
never get things going in snow-bowl; drop first league
game 72-84 |
Goshen, IN — After coming back from
20- and 27-point deficits to claim two out of its first three Mid-Central
Conference wins, the Goshen College men’s basketball team could
not make it three out of four, dropping an 84-72 decision to MCC foe Indiana
Wesleyan Thursday night at the Roman Gingerich Center. Trailing by just
four points at the half, the Leafs struggled to get any type of flow going
in the second period, dropping its first league game of the season.
“I thought this game was a game where we were mentally a little slow from
the very beginning,” said Goshen head coach Stan Daugherty. “We were
not absolutely terrible, but we were not as sharp as we normally have been in
games. Overall, we just got outplayed on both ends of the court.”
It was — surprisingly — Indiana Wesleyan that came out of the gate
strong, as the team was forced to nearly double its travel time due to blizzard-like
conditions throughout the state Thursday afternoon. Despite needing almost four
hours to make the usual two-hour trip to Goshen, the Wildcats scored seven of
the game’s first nine points before Goshen (9-3, 3-1) finally awoke. A
seven to nothing Leafs’ run made it 9-7, Goshen, and from there things
began to heat up.
After nearly six minutes of traded baskets (Indiana Wesleyan
possessed a 23-21 lead with 8:40 remaining in the first half), Goshen went on
a 12 to two run to open a 33-25 advantage with 6:11 on the clock. It was at that
point that things turned dramatically colder for the Leafs, as Wesleyan closed
the first half with a 20 to eight run. The Wildcats’ 45-41 lead at halftime
may have been far shallower of a hole than what Goshen had experienced in recent
games’ past, but the momentum was clearly shifted.
“We just never got to a point where we began playing sharp basketball,” Daugherty
said. “On the offensive end, our decisions were not always good. We rushed
some shots early in the game and we had ballhandling trouble all night. We fumbled
a lot of balls that we normally catch and handle well. Our spacing on offense
was not always good and that allowed IWU to defend us better than we would like.
On the defensive end, we just seemed a step slow at times. We did not guard on
the ball when they went one on one, and we missed some block outs that gave them
second-chance opportunities at key times.”
The combination of both defensive awareness and offensive selection helped Indiana
Wesleyan to connect on a total 29 of 50 shots (58 percent) while Goshen struggled
to just a 20 of 53 performance (37.7 percent) that included a seven for 26 second-half
effort (26.9 percent). Indiana Wesleyan continued to take advantage as the second
half wore on, taking a 67-53 lead midway through the stanza and keeping the Leafs
at bay for the remainder. Goshen was able to cut Wesleyan’s lead to 11
points on five different occasions, but could not make use of four possessions
that would have closed the gap further. The Leafs’ three-point shooting
struggles (eight of 23 overall, two of 12 in the second half) helped keep the
team from generating any kind of run down the stretch.
Senior Eric Walsh gave his best effort to help offset that trend, scoring a game-high
35 points to go with a game-high 12 rebounds. Classmate Jordan Buller was the
only other Leaf to score in double figures, charting 14 points on four of 11
shooting. Senior Tyler Sheerer added eight points. The Wildcats, meanwhile, placed
five players in double-figure scoring, generating 16 assists. Goshen produced
a season-low nine helpers.
“Indiana Wesleyan was able to do to us what we normally like to do to our
opponents
in that they shared the ball well and knocked down open shots,” Daugherty
said. “I think we are a tired team right now and probably need some time
off. Our goal over the next three weeks is to get some rest and get better for
conference play in January and February.”
Thursday’s loss came following an eventful week for Daugherty’s team
off the court, as the squad learned more about the future of two players through
medical personnel. Junior and starting power forward Willie Frazier underwent
successful arthroscopic surgery to repair torn cartilage in his left knee Tuesday.
Doctors expect him to return to the floor in two to four weeks. In a disheartening
twist of fate, the team learned Monday that sophomore forward Sam Ryan had elected
to leave the team based on doctor’s orders. After suffering severe back
spasms Sunday afternoon, Ryan was given x-rays and an MRI by surgeons Monday.
A degenerative back problem was found, and medical personnel urged Ryan to consider
ending his playing career. After discussion with family and the Goshen College
coaching staff, Ryan elected to conclude his playing career immediately. Ryan
had averaged eight minutes a game while appearing in all of Goshen’s first
11 contests. He had averaged just under two points and two rebounds per game.
“We are sorry to see Sam have to end his career prematurely,” Daugherty
said. “He was improving from week to week and was playing the best basketball
of his career. He was such a valuable player because he could play both inside
and outside for us. He was a player who worked everyday in practice and tried
to do whatever he could to help the team. In the end, he made the best decision
for his future, but he will be missed by his coaches and teammates.”
Goshen will not have long to regroup after its first loss in six games, as the
team will host Indiana University-East Saturday. Game time is set for 2 p.m. |
Senior
Eric Walsh
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