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JAN.
24 — Spring Arbor "Least Ugly" In Humdrum Game
Leafs
unable to get one for fallen teammate in tedious, 57-60
MCC loss |
Goshen, IN — With senior guard Tyler
Sheerer sitting in street clothes and his right arm in a sling, it could
be understood why the Goshen College men’s basketball team came
out missing the mark in Tuesday night’s Mid-Central Conference showdown
with Spring Arbor University.
Like a gracious guest, Spring Arbor returned the favor.
And such was the night.
Playing in its first game since losing Sheerer for the season
(click here for article), Goshen could not get enough offense going in
a lackluster, 57-60 loss to the Cougars at the Roman Gingerich Center.
In a game where scoring was seldom — 77 of a total 117 shots between
the teams were misses — it was Spring Arbor that made enough plays
at the end, grabbing the last of eight lead changes on the evening.
“For a conference game that was this close from start to finish,
it really had a blasé atmosphere to it,” said Cory Furman,
Goshen assistant coach. “Both teams played very hard, but for whatever
the reason it just wasn’t great basketball from either team tonight.
Spring Arbor made the plays in the last two minutes and we didn’t.”
It was apparent from the game’s outset that the rim appeared small
for Goshen (13-10, 5-5), as the team’s first two possessions yielded
wide open looks that resulted in two misses, one of which was an airball.
That start gave way to a less-than-stellar 22-22 tie at halftime, with
the Leafs making just seven of 30 shots from the floor (23.3 percent)
and Spring Arbor 10 of 30 (30 percent).
Scoring efficiency picked up slightly in the second half, but
neither team could muster enough firepower to put the other away. It appeared
that the Cougars would finally break free with a six-point lead on three
different occasions early on in the second half, but Goshen answered each
surge with a mini-run of its own. With 2:40 on the clock and the score
tied for the eleventh time of the game, senior Eric Walsh made two free
throws to give Goshen a 55-53 lead.
It would be the Leafs’ last.
Goshen was able to force a miss on Spring Arbor’s next possession,
but sophomore Brice Hartman could not hang on to the rebound, getting
tied up by two Cougar players resulting in a jump ball. Spring Arbor was
able to get an open look at a three-pointer on the ensuing inbounds set,
and drilled it to make the score 56-53, SAU.
After a missed layup by Walsh on Goshen’s next series, the Leafs
again attempted to bear down on defense. The Cougars were able to convert
a driving attempt to the basket, making the score 58-55 with 1:07 on the
game clock. After a Goshen timeout, Walsh received a nifty bounce pass
from classmate Jordan Buller, finishing inside to cut Spring Arbor’s
lead to 58-57 with :51 remaining. Again, Goshen would need a stop on defense.
It got the job halfway done.
While the Leafs forced a miss with :24 on the game clock, the
team could not secure the rebound, allowing Spring Arbor just its fifth
offensive carom of the night. Forced to foul, Goshen sent the Cougars’ Micah
Lancaster to the line.
He hit both free throws.
Following another Goshen timeout with :12 on the clock, the Leafs
would run a set hoping to tie the game. With just over five seconds to
play, it was Buller who received the ball on the left wing, rising up
to shoot what would be a game-tying three-point attempt.
A Cougar defender swiped down as Buller went up, causing Buller
to flail as the ball popped loose. With the Roman Gingerich Center crowd
screaming in disapproval — for the Leafs’ faithful, it appeared
to be a blatant foul — the final buzzer sounded with no whistle.
Spring Arbor had escaped with a 60-57 win, sending Goshen to its third
straight MCC loss.
“(Whether or not there was a foul on) that last play did not decide
the outcome of this game,” Furman said. “(Goshen head) Coach
Daugherty always talks about how every close college basketball
game comes down to half court execution, both on offense and defense.
We had our
chances late to get stops and get the ball back late, but we
didn’t.
Offensively, we made some bad decisions at times and also missed
some good shots. With a league as tough as this, you’ve got to execute
on both ends like Coach talks about.”
Walsh led Goshen with another solid effort, scoring a game-high
18 points to go with a game-high 14 rebounds. Buller added 11
points and four assists, while junior Matt Crawford scored 11
and grabbed eight rebounds.
Classmate Willie Frazier chipped in six points to go with nine
rebounds, while Hartman scored eight points and collected four
boards.
Goshen shot just 32.1 percent from the floor on the night (18
of 56), the team’s third consecutive game of shooting under the
37 percent mark. Spring Arbor wasn’t much better (22 for 61, 36.1
percent) but the extra five shots turned out to be the difference.
The Cougars received those extra attempts thanks to an eight to four
advantage in turnovers committed, as Goshen outrebounded SAU
by a 42-30 count, with an 11 to five advantage on the offensive glass.
Neither team
was good from behind the three-point line (Goshen six of 19,
31.6 percent; Spring Arbor four of 18, 22.2 percent) but the Cougars hit
the biggest
three late. Lancaster, the MCC’s leading scorer, was held to just
15 points (all coming in the second half) while Cougar senior and long-ball
expert Mike Folkert was just one of nine from three-point range.
“It was really just a weird night offensively for both teams,” Furman
said. “Both teams played very hard defensively, but both teams had
some really good looks that just didn’t go down. We’re in
a bit of a funk right now offensively, but some of that is just
the ebb and flow of a season. As a coaching staff, we’ll watch film
and try to figure out ways to correct it, but it can end just as quickly
and
as easily as it began. We’re really close to playing very good basketball.
Obviously in this conference close isn’t good enough.”
For Goshen fans, the absence of Sheerer on the court was noticeable,
as the Leafs’ guards shot a combined four for 15 from
the field and two for eight from three-point range. While Sheerer’s
presence was palpable to all in attendance — Goshen players donned
his number “3” on shoes and wrist bands — it was obvious
the squad was playing for the first time without him.
“Any time you lose a player of such vital importance like Tyler,
it’s going to take some time to adjust,” Furman said. “Our
guys have taken the right approach, trying to finish the season
strong for Tyler and not taking the privilege of being able to play for
granted.
With more time on the practice floor, we will be okay.”
Goshen will return to the Roman Gingerich Center this Saturday,
when MCC foe Marian College visits. Game time is set for 3 p.m. |
  Senior
Jordan Buller
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