Box Score
GOSHEN, Ind. –Led by a huge second-half from Nate West Jr., the Goshen College men's basketball team rallied for a 81-78 upset win over NAIA DII #14 Grace College at the Roman Gingerich Rec-Fitness Center Wednesday night.
A sophomore forward, West led the Maple Leafs back from a 34-43 halftime deficit by scoring 19 of his 21 points in the final half.
"This was a great win against a Grace team that was tied for first in the MCC, and playing as well as anyone," said Head Coach Gary Chupp.
Both teams were a little slow out of the gates as they combined for eight turnovers and just eight total points in the first four minutes of play. Things seemed even worse for Grace, who lost leading-scorer Marcus Moore to an ankle injury just over a minute in.
Michael Wienhorst gave Grace an immediate surge off the bench, scoring eight of the Lancers first thirteen points. With Grace up 13-11, Bryce Bow drove the lane and dished out to a wide-open Sam Boldman who knocked down one of his three 3-pointers to give Goshen a 14-13 lead midway through the first half. Boldman finished a perfect 3-of-3 from long range as he tallied nine points.
A pair of threes from Wienhorst and David Henry quickly put the Lancers back on top where they would stay until late in the second half.
"I really challenged our guys at halftime because I didn't think we showed any toughness on the defensive end of the court in the first half," commented Chupp. "There were several possessions where we allowed dribble penetration to the rim instead of stepping up and taking a charge."
Grace's lead fluctuated between nine and two points for much of the second half as each team traded runs. With just 2:47 to play the Maple Leafs converted a Lancer turnover into their first lead (74-73) since 10:03 in the first half as West put away a lay up off an assist from Errick McCollum.
A pair of free throws from Kyle Johnson gave Grace the lead back with 1:45 on the clock. After misses on both sides of the floor, Brice Hartman answered with a drive past a pair of Lancer defenders to give Goshen the 76-75 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Taylor TenHarmsel stole the inbounds pass and was fouled with 21 seconds remaining. After making 1-of-2 from the line, Grace took the ball the length of the court and missed what would have been a go-ahead 3-pointer. Nate West was fouled after grabbing the rebound and hit both free throws to give Goshen an 79-75 advantage.
With four seconds remaining, Wienhorst made all three after being fouled shooting a 3-pointer bringing Grace back within one at 79-78. Scott Bruggeman was immediately fouled, but missed the first of two from the line. Grace's bench, meanwhile, was given a technical for calling a timeout when they had none remaining. Errick McCollum and Bruggeman sealed the game, each sinking free-throws to give the Maple Leafs the 81-78 win.
"I was very proud of our effort in the 2nd half - we kept getting within striking distance, but couldn't get over the hump until late in the game," added Chupp.
"Our guys kept battling and strung enough defensive stops together to give us a chance."
West's 21 points led the way for Goshen, while Hartman poured in 17 and McCollum added 15. Weinhorst had a game-high 22 for Grace. Austin Kaiser hit 6-of-8 for 17 points and Eric Gaff contributed 15.
"After sitting most of the first half with foul trouble, Nate (West) was outstanding in the second half," said Chupp. "They were focusing so much on E (McCollum) and Hartman, someone had to step up and make plays and Nate really responded."
Goshen looks to build off the momentum as they play host to Taylor on Saturday. Tip off is set for 3:00 p.m.
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Sophomore Nate West Jr.