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NOV.
22 — Leafs Start MCC Season With Jaw-Dropper
Squad
comes back from 20-point deficit to defeat St. Francis
in 79-76 shocker |
Goshen, IN — If Tuesday night’s
Mid-Central Conference opener between Goshen College and the
University of St. Francis is any precursor to how the rest of
the conference season
is going to unfold, fans can expect the unexpected.
Perhaps Adidas, the Leafs’ official outfitter, was correct in its
latest advertisement campaign.
Impossible is nothing.
After trailing by as many as 20 points in the first half and
looking completely dead in the water, the Goshen College men’s basketball
team completed a miraculous comeback, outscoring the visiting Cougars
by a 47-26 margin in the final 20 minutes to steal an always-coveted MCC
contest by a 79-76 score. Goshen (7-2, 1-0) did not claim its first lead
until the second half’s 1:14 mark, when senior Jordan Buller canned
a 15-foot jump shot to put his team up 75-73. It was a lead that the Leafs
would not surrender.
“It’s always nice to get a win in the conference, but this
was a special one in that we just didn’t give up in the second half,” said
Stan Daugherty, Goshen head coach. “We played just awful on both
ends of the floor in the first half, and St. Francis made us
pay with their offense. It’s hard to explain why we came out flat,
but we were not nearly as sharp as we had been playing.”
That flatness was evident to all in attendance at the Roman Gingerich
Center, as St. Francis opened the game with a 12-2 run that was not short-lived.
Following a layup and free throw by senior Eric Walsh, the Cougars put
together another blast — this one a nine to three run — to
make it a 21-8 contest. St. Francis continued its first-half domination
all the way until the buzzer had sounded, at one point claiming a 48-28
lead before settling for a 50-32 advantage at intermission.
First-period stats reflected the Cougars’ supremacy, as St. Francis
shot 60 percent from the floor (21 of 35) while knocking in seven of eight
from three-point land (87.5 percent). Meanwhile, Goshen struggled to just
nine of 29 shooting from the floor (31 percent), making just two of 12
threes (16.7 percent) while being outrebounded by a 22 to 12 count.
For Daugherty, it was about as bad as he realistically could
have expected.
“It’s probably not the best coaching strategy, but I told
(the team) that I thought it was on them to make the adjustments and to
come out
and play (at halftime),” Daugherty said. “(The coaching staff)
really didn’t make any adjustments at the half. We just went over
the four keys that we had listed before the game. We talked about
not even being concerned with the score, but just trying to play good
basketball.
If we were in a position to win at the five-minute mark, we obviously
would try to go for it.”
Incredibly, the tides began to turn right out of the gate for
Daugherty’s team. A driving layup by junior Matt Crawford and another
by Walsh cut St. Francis’ lead to 14 points in the half’s
first minute, and a renewed spirit began to grow on the Goshen bench:
After a three-pointer by junior David Haire put the Leafs down by just
11 with 14:12 to play, it was clear that it was anyone’s game for
the taking.
Following a three-point play by Buller at the 12:10
mark that made the score 61-50, Cougars, Goshen got a big defensive
stop with a taken charge. After a missed three by Haire on the Leafs’ ensuing
possession, sophomore Tyler Stotler secured an enormous offensive rebound,
hitting senior Tyler Sheerer for a three pointer that made it a 53-61
contest. A Walsh score inside following another defensive stop made the
score 55-61 with 11:08 to play, and the Roman Gingerich Center crowd began
to come to life. Another three-ball from Sheerer at the 8:28 mark made
it 62-63, St. Francis, but the Cougars would not go easily: USF senior
Gabe Miller canned a tough three-pointer on his team’s next offensive
trip, and the Cougar lead was pushed back to four.
A Miller layup following a three-point miss by Buller pushed
St. Francis’ lead to 68-62 with 6:56 remaining, but Haire answered
with a three-ball in transition to cut the lead in half. St. Francis again
responded, as the Cougars’ Mike Steinau outraced everyone to the
basket for a lay-in to make it a 70-65 contest.
Walsh then began to show his credentials as an NAIA All-American,
making three consecutive moves in the paint to tie the game at 71-71 following
a USF made free throw. After traded baskets on the teams’ ensuing
possessions, Goshen got a defensive stop off a Miller missed jumper. That’s
when Buller canned his 15-footer to make it a 73-71 game, igniting the
Roman Gingerich Center crowd into a furor. The Leafs then put up another
big stop on defense, only for Sheerer to be fouled following a breakaway
layup attempt by Haire. His two free throws made the score 77-73, Goshen,
with 41 seconds to play, but the game was not over yet.
USF’s Trey Eaton canned a deep three on the Cougars’ next
trip, cutting the Goshen lead to a single point (77-76) with 31 seconds
remaining. Haire was then fouled, and converted both free throws. A three-point
attempt by St. Francis’ Zach Beiswanger fell just short as time
expired, and Goshen had completed the remarkable rally.
“We did make some big baskets and plays on defense down the stretch
to win,” Daugherty said. “As with the first half, I thought
the second-half effort and execution was our players mentally
changing their focus and playing better. I told them that yes, the bad
first half
was on them, but so was how we played in the second half. They
made it possible.”
The stark contrast in how the game finished was again evident
on the stat sheet, as Goshen recovered to shoot 48.5 percent in the second
half (16 of 33) while connecting on five of 14 three-point attempts (35.7
percent). The Leafs also converted on 10 of 11 free throws (90.9 percent),
while the Cougars did little to help themselves: In addition to knocking
in just eight of 22 second-half field goals (36.4 percent), St. Francis
made just two of six free throws (33.3 percent), with five misses coming
via the air-ball variety.
Walsh led all scorers with a tough performance, scoring 35 points
on 11 of 17 shooting from the floor and a 13 for 14 performance at the
free throw line. Sheerer was the only other Leaf in double figures, knocking
in 12 points behind a three for seven effort from behind the arc. Buller
finished with nine points and four assists, with Haire and sophomore Brice
Hartman each carding eight points.
Goshen secured its first MCC win without the services of leading
rebounder and starting power forward Willie Frazier (junior), who missed
the game with probable torn cartilage in his left knee. Frazier is expected
to undergo an MRI Wednesday afternoon. Results of that test will be posted
at this site when they become known.
“Needless to say, I think we were fortunate to win but we’re
very happy to have pulled it off,” Daugherty said. “It’s
a very long season, and we’ve got a long, long way to go in hopes
of getting better as a team. I think this is probably just a
taste of the craziness people will see in the MCC this season.”
Following a brief break for the Thanksgiving holiday, Goshen
will return to the floor in yet another highly-anticipated match up. The
Leafs will meet up with Spring Arbor University next Tuesday, Nov. 29
in a rematch of last season’s MCC Tournament thriller: Spring Arbor
ended Goshen’s 2004-2005 season behind a 70-68 win in the first
round of tournament play at the Roman Gingerich Center. Goshen will visit
the Cougars’ arena Tuesday night with game time set for 7 p.m. |
Senior
Eric Walsh
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