Intercollegiate Sports

Athletic Department
JAN. 17 — Offensive Kinks Lead To OT Loss At Grace
 Goshen stays competitive thanks to tough defense; falls by 72-74 score on road
Winona Lake, IN — In a game that capped the first half of the Mid-Central Conference schedule, it was Goshen’s inability to finish at the offensive end of the floor in a 72-74 overtime loss at rival Grace College Tuesday night.

Goshen (13-8, 5-3) shot just 36.8 percent for the game (25 of 68) and just six of 20 from three-point range (30 percent), despite having multiple opportunities for good looks, according to head coach Stan Daugherty.

“This was a game where I never thought that we got into a good offensive rhythm for any length of time during the game,” Daugherty said. “We would have short stretches where we were very solid and then we would have stretches where we would either rush something or miss a wide open shot. We rushed some fastbreak opportunities and some half court sets, especially in the first half. We never got into a good flow.”

The Leafs’ lack of rhythm was apparent early on, where Daugherty’s team missed 18 of its first 21 shots from the field in falling behind by a 10-24 score after nearly 13 minutes had elapsed in the first half. Sophomore Brice Hartman scored the first of his game-high 22 points on a pair of free throws at the 6:14 mark, igniting a 20 to five Goshen run that gave the Leafs their first lead of the game (30-29) with just 1:46 remaining in the period. Grace responded with a six to nothing run to close the half, however, as the Lancers knocked in four straight free throws and a layup following a costly Goshen turnover to reclaim a 35-30 lead at the intermission.

“We were fortunate to be down only five points at halftime after shooting only 29 percent (nine for 31) in the first half,” Daugherty said. “We had a good stretch where we got the lead, but then we closed the half with some poor decisions that led to some easy chances for Grace.”

After a nip and tuck opening to the second half that saw Goshen close the gap to a single point (38-39) with 15:22 remaining in regulation, it was Grace that again began to pull away. The Lancers built a steady seven- to eight-point lead over the game’s next seven minutes, and still led by seven points (a 63-56 advantage) with 3:08 to play. Back to back baskets by senior Eric Walsh and junior Willie Frazier cut the Grace lead to 63-60 with 2:11 remaining, but a driving Lancer score pushed the lead back to five with 1:49 on the clock. It was at that point that Hartman began his heroics, hitting a three pointer just 16 seconds later to pull Goshen within two, 65-63. After Grace knocked in a pair of free throws on its ensuing possession — the result of Walsh picking up his fifth foul of the game — senior Tyler Sheerer got free on a beautiful backdoor layup feed from junior Matt Crawford. Goshen was able to get a much-needed stop on its next defensive possession, setting up a final play that would tie the game and force overtime.

After setting a screen for senior Jordan Buller, it was Hartman that popped out and received the ball with eight seconds on the clock. Defended at the three-point line, Hartman took two dribbles to the right and pulled up from 17 feet, calmly swishing the tying score with just 4.9 seconds remaining on the game clock. Following a Grace timeout, Goshen successfully defended the Lancers’ final attempt, as Grace’s Scott Moore came up short on a jumper from the right wing.

Playing its first overtime contest of the season — as well as without Walsh due to fouls, also a first on the year — Goshen came out off the mark on its first three shot attempts from the floor. Grace, meanwhile, cashed in its first basket, and eventually grabbed a 73-67 lead with 2:11 remaining in the extra period. A driving and-one layup from Buller cut the Grace lead to 73-70, but Frazier fouled out on the Leafs’ next defensive possession, further depleting the Goshen unit. Grace was able to make just one of the two free throw attempts, and Buller was fouled on the Leafs’ next possession. His two made charity tosses put the score at 74-72, Grace, with 54 seconds remaining.

Goshen would need to get a stop to have a chance at the win or to force double-overtime.

Daugherty’s group got one.

Following a driving miss by a Lancer guard, Grace’s Kyle Johnson was there to collect the rebound and score on a putback attempt as the shot clock expired. Officials frantically waved off Johnson’s basket, however, claiming the shot occurred after the shot clock buzzer had sounded. With 18 seconds remaining on the game clock, the Leafs would have one final chance.

Daugherty called a timeout and set up the final play, and as Buller held the ball at halfcourt the Lancer Gym crowd rose to its feet. Unfortunately for the Leafs, the squad’s final set went awry, as Crawford received a pass well outside of the three-point line with three seconds remaining. Forced to fire up an off balance shot, Crawford’s potential game-winner did not draw iron, and Grace had escaped with the win.

For the second straight MCC contest, it was Goshen’s defense that kept the team in contention. The Leafs held Grace to just 41 percent shooting on the evening (25 of 61) including just a six of 18 effort from three-point land (33.3 percent). The Leafs also held Grace’s talented guard tandem of Scott and Marcus Moore well below their respective averages, as Marcus tallied 12 points on four of 12 shooting and Scott just eight points on a three of eight effort.

Still, Goshen was not without offensive difficulties of its own. Walsh needed 18 shots to score 14 points before fouling out, making six from the field. Buller finished with 18 points on a five of 11 shooting performance, while Hartman was the only Goshen player to shoot over 50 percent on the game, going eight for 14 from the floor en route to his 22-point explosion. Walsh led the team with 12 total rebounds, while Buller supplied half of the squad’s assists with four.

Goshen was without sophomore Tyler Stotler for the first time in his career, as the 6-3 swing suffered a mild concussion in practice Monday. Goshen College training personnel reported that Stotler should be cleared to play in time for the Leafs’ next contest.

“Defensively, we were pretty good for most of the game,” Daugherty said. “We struggled at times guarding the post, but for the most part we contested in the paint. I was particularly pleased with our perimeter defense, especially on the Moores. They had to earn all of their shots. Brice Hartman had his best overall game of his career. He was aggressive on offense and active on defense. He hit a big shot to put the game into overtime. It was a tough loss in that although we didn't shoot well, we still had a chance to win the game. We just didn't execute a couple of sets in the overtime. At the midway point of the conference I think we are sitting in good shape. Playing three of the top four teams in the league away from home will make the last half of the conference schedule very demanding. We just have to focus on the next game and prepare as well as we can for that opponent.”

The Leafs get no breaks for their next league contest, as the team will travel to Fort Wayne Saturday to face a deeply talented University of St. Francis team. Both Goshen and St. Francis are tied for third place in the MCC standings with 5-3 league records. Tip off is set for 3 p.m. in the Hutzell Athletic Center Saturday.
Sophomore Brice Hartman