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DEC. 15 — Goshen gets back on track with win against Cornerstone University
Senior Brice Hartman scores 23 points as the Leafs edge CU, 84-80 |
GOSHEN, Ind. – After seeing its seven game winning streak snapped Wednesday, the Goshen College men’s basketball team entered Saturday’s contest focused and intent on closing out 2007 on an upswing. With A win against the Cornerstone University Golden Eagles, and only two more games before the end of the calendar year, the Maple Leafs are well on their way to making that goal a reality.
Though Goshen grabbed the win, things did not begin well as the score remained relatively even with neither team able to take a substantial lead in the opening minutes. For Goshen, the problems were on both ends of the floor according to Gary Chupp, head basketball coach, who said, “Our defensive intensity and rotations to the basketball were not very good, and I also thought that our shot selection was poor.”
One of the bright spots in the first half for the Maple Leafs turned out to be their free-throw shooting. After a poor performance in the previous outing, shooting 30% in the first half and 72% for the game, Goshen made the most out of trips to the line by converting on 11 of 12 attempts.
Improved free-throw shooting, combined with an impressive effort from three-point territory and clutch defensive work down the stretch from freshman Carl Steen, allowed Goshen to go on a 12-point run to close the half with a 45-33 advantage.
“Carl Steen was critical at the end of the half by coming up with a big-time block and steal to spark the run," Coach Chupp said of Steen’s first-half performance.
Coming out of the break, it was the Golden Eagles’ turn to put on the pressure in an effort to bring the game within reach. They battled back from a 12-point deficit to take the lead late in the second half. Aiding in Cornerstone’s effort was a field goal percentage of 46.7, compared with Goshen’s 39.3.
Moving into the final minutes of the game, Goshen’s free-throw shooting proved be the deciding factor as the team regained the lead for good. Building on their exceptional first half performance, the Maple Leafs made 14 of 15 free-throws to essentially put the game on ice and demonstrate why they are ranked fifth among all teams in the NAIA Division II for free-throw shooting percentage. Goshen finished the game by making 92.6% from the free-throw line.
Impressed by the Leafs' recovery from their loss earlier in the week, Coach Chupp said, “The last couple of days in practice our guys decided to get in some extra conditioning by not hitting their free throws, so it was great to see us step up and hit 93% from the line tonight; that was probably the difference in the game." Chupp also said, "I was pleased with the play of Kyle Laker tonight. He did a nice job defensively on (Cornerstone center Matt) Kingshott limiting him to seven shot attempts, and he was also much more aggressive on the offensive end. Taylor TenHarmsel also gave us some quality minutes off the bench when we got into foul trouble."
Kyle Laker finished the game with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
Continuing his strong sophomore season with a 26-point effort was sophomore Errick McCollum. McCollum was the game’s leading scorer and also ranks fourth in points per game out of all players in the NAIA Division II. Senior Brice Hartman also turned in another solid performance by adding 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 steals.
Up next for Goshen, now 11-2, are the Brescia University Bearcats who will come to Roman Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center on Wednesday, Dec. 19. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
Click Here For Complete 2007-2008 Season
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  Junior Kyle Laker
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