JAN. 16 — In a strong performance, Maple Leafs defeat Taylor University on the road

Maple Leafs face Huntington University at home Saturday

UPLAND, Ind. – The Goshen College men's basketball team bounced back Wednesday night — after two previous tough losses — to beat the Taylor University Trojans and improve to 3-3 in conference play. The Trojans, ranked 20th in the NAIA’s Division II polls, fell to the Maple Leads by a score of 69-66.

Knowing they were in need of an outstanding offensive performance against the top scoring defense in the NAIA’s Division II, which has been allowing an average of only 52 points per game, Goshen’s offense came into the game firing on all cylinders and used the majority of the first half to build a lead of as many as 22 points.

Complimenting their outstanding offensive performance was the Maple Leaf play on the defensive end of the court. They used heavy pressure throughout the half to force turnovers and hinder Taylor’s shot selection. Near the end of the half, Goshen let up slightly on defense, which gave the Trojans a chance to cut the Maple Leaf lead to eight.

The score was 34-26 at halftime in favor of the Maple Leafs, who shot 58.3% from the field and went 5 for 9 from three-point range. The Trojans, on the other hand, struggled offensively as they made 2 of 14 from three-point range and made only 36% from the field.

Goshen head coach Gary Chupp commented on his team’s first half performance, saying, "I was very pleased with how our guys responded from a difficult loss at Grace on Saturday. We had two good days of practice and that carried over. The first 15 minutes of the game we played extremely well on both ends of the floor, at one point leading by 22 points. The key against Taylor, which leads the country in defensive points allowed, is to stay patient. Our ball movement and shot selection was outstanding, and we were really getting after it on the defensive end of the floor."

Chupp also added, "The last five minutes of the first half was a different story; we have had difficulty all year playing with a big lead, and once again we let Taylor close the gap to 8 at halftime. We have to understand that a quality team like Taylor is not going to quit on their home floor, and at some point they are going to make a run. We can minimize that by keeping up the defensive intensity that produced the big lead, but we haven't learned that yet."

The second half saw Goshen cool down slightly on offense, most notably in its free-throw shooting, and that allowed Taylor to get within striking distance. Despite having a team average of making 74.4% of free-throw attempts, the Maple Leafs only connected on 55% — 11 of 20, attempts from the line for the half.

Even with the poor free-throw shooting, Goshen was able to maintain a double-digit lead for most of the half. The Trojans cut the lead to six early on, but Goshen responded and the Trojans would not be within striking distance again until the last minute of play when they pulled within five points, 67-62.

Both teams traded free-throws as Goshen was able to hang on for the win.

Coach Chupp noted, "The second half, every time they made a run, we had someone step up and make a big play, whether it was (Scott) Bruggeman getting a big steal and basket, (Brice) Hartman getting a key block, or (Errick) McCollum going up in traffic to get one of his 14 rebounds. We maintained a double-digit lead throughout the second half, and then missed some free throws down the stretch to keep it interesting."

Sophomore Errick McCollum picked up a double-double while also grabbing the game’s top scoring honors with 21 points and 14 rebounds. Senior Brice Hartman followed by contributing 17 points.

The Maple Leafs will return home on Saturday, Jan. 19 to face another tough MCC opponent — Huntington University. Huntington sits just above the Maple Leafs in the conference standings with a 4-2 record in MCC play. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. at the Gingerich Recreation-Fitness Center on the campus of Goshen College.

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Sophomore Nate West Jr.