A little over one year after the Mid-Central Conference teams met up for one of the wildest games in Gingerich Center history (click here for related article), Tuesday’s contest failed to recreate such dramatics. Following a 20-point comeback, 79-76 Leafs’ win over the Cougars last year, Tuesday night’s slate featured a much tighter affair: Neither team lead by more than nine points at any point of the game, with St. Francis making the necessary plays down the stretch to secure the win.

Goshen’s competitiveness was a positive sign for head coach Stan Daugherty, as the Leafs had a legitimate shot at winning against what would become the nation’s 14th-ranked team — the NAIA’s first regular-season Top 25 Poll was released Wednesday.

“I thought that we came out focused and played very competitive from the beginning of the game,” Daugherty said. “It was important that we battled inside and contested shots on the perimeter. We gave a very good effort, and that allowed us to stay close.”

An early 4-0 lead from Goshen (4-7, 1-2) would propel Daugherty’s squad to a 14-13 advantage midway through the first period, but from there St. Francis would respond. A 14 to six Cougar run over the game’s next eight minutes put USF ahead by a 27-20 score, and with 2:40 remaining in the period St. Francis held a 33-25 advantage. A made free throw and lay up from senior Willie Frazier and a three pointer from classmate David Haire cut the lead to 35-31 at the intermission, however.

“In the first half we did a good job of being in the game and competing with them in every phase of the game,” Daugherty said. “In the second half, we missed some power lay ups early in the half that would have gotten us the lead early in the half. Despite those misses, we played well and eventually took the lead.”

A made basket from junior Brice Hartman just four minutes into the second half gave Goshen a 41-40 advantage, and the Leafs would maintain a lead for the majority of the game’s next six minutes. Outside of a pair of tie scores, Goshen led for the duration of that span, including the team’s largest lead of the night — a 52-47 advantage — with 12:47 remaining.

St. Francis — a true veteran team — was not done, however. Following the Leafs’ five-point lead, the Cougars rattled off a 22 to eight run over the game’s next seven and a half minutes, turning the score into a 69-60 USF lead with 5:18 to play.

The Cougars possessed an eight-point lead with 3:03 to play (71-63) before Daugherty’s team began to whittle away. A pair of nifty baskets from freshman Errick McCollum cut St. Francis’ lead to just 71-67 with 2:00 on the clock, but the Cougars’ Mike Steinau responded with a tough jumper on USF’s next trip to make it a 73-67 contest.

McCollum cashed in on a pair of free throws on the Leafs’ next offensive possession, and Goshen’s best chance to change the momentum came with :34 seconds to play. Following a needed defensive stop with 1:03 on the clock, McCollum was fouled again. He made the first charity toss, making the score 73-70, St. Francis. His second was long, but freshman Nate West was there to secure an enormous offensive rebound.

Looking to dish the ball to Frazier under the basket, West’s pass was deflected.

St. Francis captured the loose ball, and went on to hit the necessary free throws: USF made its last five freebies of the game, while Goshen missed its final three shots from the field.

“As with most of our close games, it came down to who would make a couple of plays at the end,” Daugherty said. “I did think that their experience was helpful as (Trey) Eaton and Steinau made some big shots for them. Overall, I think it was a step in the right direction for us to compete with the top teams in the MCC. We must continue to improve and then play with more purpose in the closing minutes of the game.”

The Leafs shot a paltry 34.1 percent from the floor in the game’s second period, including a miserable one for 11 performance from behind the arc (9.1 percent). St. Francis, meanwhile, connected on 48.1 percent of its second-half attempts, going 13 for 18 from the line as well.

McCollum paced Goshen with 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, his first double-double of the season. Hartman scored 14 points on a six for 17 shooting performance, while Frazier scored 11 and grabbed eight rebounds. West added nine points and four boards, while Haire scored eight points and dished out four assists.

Goshen will next travel to the Hope College Holland Sentinel Tournament this weekend. The squad will face Madonna University in the tournament opener, the second time the Leafs have faced the Crusaders this season (click here for related article). 91.1 FM The Globe and www.globeradio.org will broadcast both of Goshen’s contests from Hope. Saturday’s game times and match-ups will be determined by the winners of Friday’s contests. Hope College will face off against Grace Bible College in the other Friday-evening match-up at 8 p.m.