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DEC.
11-14 — McDugle Becomes All-Time Leading Scorer
Senior
eclipses milestone in three-game Kentucky stretch; Leafs
go 1-2 for trip |
Georgetown, KY — A vicious three-game
stretch in the state of Kentucky may have handed the Goshen College
women’s basketball team a pair of losses, but it could not
keep history from being made as senior Erin McDugle became the
program’s all-time scoring leader in Goshen’s 66-55
win over Spalding University Tuesday night.
In scoring her fourth point of the contest, McDugle eclipsed 1991
graduate Kathy Mast’s 1,543 total career points, vaulting
her to the top of Goshen career scoring leaders. Following McDugle’s
22-point game against the Lady Pelicans, her career total stands
at 1,562 points, all with at least 17 games remaining on this season’s
schedule.
“This is obviously a milestone that doesn’t get surpassed
all too often,” said Steve Wiktorowski, Goshen head coach. “We
are very happy for Erin, but more proud of how she has improved
from year to year during her career here at Goshen. This is a tremendous
accomplishment, but I know Erin is obviously focused on the remainder
of the season now that she has this record eclipsed and out of
the way.”
McDugle’s 17.8 points per game is tops on the team this season,
while her 22 points in Tuesday’s win over Spalding was also
the team’s top scoring effort. Goshen used 20 offensive rebounds
to help propel itself to the 11-point win after leading by a 31-28
score at halftime, while holding the Lady Pelicans to just a 10
for 41 effort from the floor (24.4 percent) in the second half
of play.
Senior Candice Williams was next in line on the scoring front,
charting 17 points on a seven for 14 effort from the field. Goshen’s
guard play — senior Kortney Hanson, juniors Ashely Woodlee
and Jen Rupp and freshman Sarah Arnold — combined for 25
of the Leafs’ 49 total rebounds in the game, while Wiktorowski’s
squad turned the ball over just 13 times in the win.
“I especially thought two freshmen, Carly Feldman and Sarah
Arnold, showed great improvement in handling the ball and playing
inside
against Spalding,” Wiktorowski said. “Our guards rebounded
well, and we had 20 offensive rebounds, something we have really
been emphasizing in practice. We only had 13 turnovers, which is
another key statistic for us to be successful. In all, it was a
good win to end a very high-quality trip.”
Tuesday’s win over Spalding helped give Wiktorowski’s
team a bit of confidence after dropping a pair of games to extremely
talented opponents in the days’ prior, as Goshen opened its
Kentucky adventure with a 53-67 loss to NAIA Div. I 18th-ranked
Lindsey Wilson College Saturday evening. Things didn’t get
any easier on Sunday afternoon for the Leafs, as the squad lost
to NAIA Div. I seventh-ranked Georgetown College by a 42-82 score.
Despite the losses, Wiktorowski said he was pleased with the team’s
resolve and effort.
“We didn't shoot as well as normal, (against Lindsey Wilson
and Georgetown), but I think that was because we were missing some
of our best shooters and trying some new things,” Wiktorowski
said. “This was probably the toughest back to back games
we have ever scheduled, so hopefully we can carry some momentum
from this last game back to our home court and compete at a high
level this upcoming weekend.”
Against Lindsey Wilson, the Leafs did more than hold its own, trailing
by just a 25-30 score at halftime. Thirty total turnovers helped
wipe out an eight for 16 second half shooting performance (50 percent),
however, and Goshen could not hang with the Blue Raiders down the
stretch. Lindsey Wilson connected on 15 of 23 second half attempts
(65.2 percent), and took 18 more shots for the game than Goshen.
Williams led the scoring output for the Leafs in the loss, knocking
in 22 points on an eight for 17 effort from the floor. McDugle
added 14 points, while Hanson scored 12 on a three for four effort.
After that tough loss Saturday evening, the Leafs were in little
condition to give the up-tempo Georgetown squad just its second
loss of the season Sunday afternoon. Instead, the Lady Tigers jumped
on Goshen, taking a 42-22 lead at the half and never looking back.
Wiktorowski’s team did shoot better from the field than Georgetown,
but like Saturday, attempted far fewer attempts thanks to a slew
of turnovers. Goshen’s 13 of 30 clip from the field (43.3
percent) was outdone by the lady Tigers’ 30 for 73 effort
(41.1 percent) thanks in large part to a season-high 39 turnovers.
Georgetown’s full court pressure from opening tip to final
buzzer made life rough for the Leafs, as Goshen suffered its most
lopsided loss since the arrival of Wiktorowski in the spring of
2002.
Williams again led the Leafs offensively, scoring 14 points on
four for seven shooting. McDugle scored 11 points and grabed five
rebounds, while Feldman scored nine points and grabbed a game-high
nine boards as well.
And while trying to knock off a pair of NAIA Divison I powerhouses
is a difficult task in its own right, the Leafs were without freshman
standout Kelsy McKee throughout the three-game Kentucky stretch.
McKee, who unknowingly suffered a broken left hand earlier in the
season, sat out the games with a cast on her hand. The cast is
scheduled to be removed just prior to the Christmas holiday. She
is not expected to miss any additional competitions.
“Going to Kentucky was a great experience,” Wiktorowski said. “Because
of injuries we had to play a lot of young players and they got some really good
experience against quality competition on the road. We also had a chance to work
on a few new things that I think will help us both offensively and defensively.
The players spent a lot of time together and I saw our chemistry take a big step
forward both on and off the court. I think the experience we gained will really
begin to show later, especially after Christmas, when we hopefully have everyone
healthy and back together.”
Goshen will next host its annual Goshen College Classic this weekend, when the
Leafs will return to the Roman Gingerich Center. Goshen will open against Aquinas
College on Friday night. Game time is set for 8 p.m. Indiana Tech will face off
against Purdue University Calumet in the tournament opener at 6 p.m. Saturday’s
game times are set for 1 p.m. (consolation) and 3 p.m. (championship). |
  Senior
Erin McDugle
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