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NOV.
13 — Goshen Comes Back But Falls Short Against IUSB
Strong
second half propels Leafs to lead; controversial play gets Titans
to OT |
Goshen,
IN — For the third consecutive game of the season, the
Goshen College women’s basketball team fought back from
a deficit to take a late-game lead.
Some key plays and a controversial call kept Saturday’s game against Indiana
University South Bend from being the Leafs’ third consecutive win.
After falling behind by 11 points in the first half and then storming back
to take a one-point lead with 44 seconds to play in regulation, Goshen fell
victim
to the worst sequence in the book — a five-point play — to fall behind
again. Incredibly, the Leafs were able to come back once again and send the game
into overtime, but were not able to pull it out in a 74-71 overtime loss to the
visiting Lady Titans.
“Playing four games in the first seven days or our season has been tough,” said
Steve Wiktorowski, Goshen head coach, following the game. “I feel we are
already a much better team because of it, though, and it should help us down
the road.”
Goshen (2-2, 0-0) never led in the opening period against IUSB Saturday, as the
visiting squad connected on 14 of 27 first-half attempts (51.9 percent), while
connecting on four of nine three-pointers (44.4 percent). During that same time,
Goshen could only find the range on nine of its 31 attempts (29 percent), helping
the Lady Titans to a 38-29 halftime lead.
IUSB would keep its advantage for most of the second half, but Goshen began
to
pick up its defensive intensity. By the time the clock read 3:29, Wiktorowski’s
team had tied up the contest at 52-52, and would take a 56-55 lead at the 2:11
mark.
After a pair of Candice Williams’ (senior) free throws gave Goshen a 60-59
lead with 52 seconds remaining, the Leafs had the collective wind knocked out
of them on IUSB’s ensuing possession. With just 44 seconds remaining, an
IUSB player got an open three-point look off of a screen. With Wiktorowski arguing
for an illegal screen call from the official, he got the opposite: The official
called a foul on freshman Kelsy McKee for trying to get through the screen, and
counted the three-point basket that went in seemingly after the whistle had blown.
IUSB’s Jamie Bonner sank both her free throws, giving the Lady Titans a
four-point lead with just 44 seconds to play in regulation.
Incredibly, Goshen did not panic. A gritty possession followed, where the Leafs
missed three consecutive shots but collected the offensive rebound on each. Senior
Erin McDugle finally ended the scoring drought on a layup, cutting the IUSB lead
to just 64-62 with 14 seconds to play.
Fouling to stop the clock, Goshen was helped by IUSB missing the front end of
a one-and-one free throw chance. After IUSB got the offensive rebound, Goshen
forced a quick turnover, giving them one final opportunity to either tie or win
the game with nine seconds remaining.
After Williams couldn’t find the range on a jumper, sophomore Danielle
Haney was on the spot: Her offensive rebound and putback tied the game at 64-64,
and the game would head into overtime.
After a Williams’ drive gave the Leafs a 66-64 advantage to start the extra
stanza, IUSB responded with a layup of its own. Goshen took a 67-66 lead after
Haney connected on the second of two free throws with 3:04 to play, but it would
be the Leafs’ last lead of the contest. IUSB rattled off the game’s
next four points, and made its last four free throw attempts of the game, sealing
the win in difficult fashion.
“I felt that IUSB was very talented and were the clear aggressors in the
first half, but we turned that around with adjustments to our defense and our
attitude,” Wiktorowski said. “The second half I felt our defense
did a much better job of keeping their guards from controlling the tempo, we
rebounded better and we got their posts into foul trouble. They made some big
baskets to keep them in it, but I was very pleased by the improvement that we
showed from the first half to the second half.”
Goshen limited IUSB to just an eight for 23 performance (34.8 percent) in the
second half, but could only muster a 10 of 28 effort (35.7 percent) on the offensive
end of the floor. The Leafs’ big advantage came once again at the free
throw line (21 of 24, 87.5 percent compared to IUSB’s 16 of 21, 76.2 percent).
And though outrebounded by a 34 to 25 count, Wiktorowski’s team only committed
14 turnovers on the afternoon, a major improvement from the 24 errors per game
the team had been averaging in its first three contests.
“Right now our defense is keeping us in games, and now we must become more
consistent offensively and improve our shooting percentage,” Wiktorowski
said. “We had some players step up and hit some big baskets when we needed
them today, and we cut down on turnovers. We’re headed in the right direction.
We just have to keep improving.”
McDugle led all scorers with 27 points, despite again battling a stomach ailment.
McKee scored 13 points on a four of 10 shooting effort, while Haney came up with
nine points and three big offensive rebounds. Williams notched eight points,
while junior Ashley Woodlee and sophomore Ashely Hegerfeld provided five points
each.
“I couldn’t have been more proud of Erin McDugle today,” Wiktorowski
said. “She again battled through illness to carry us with 19 points in
the second half. They had difficulty matching up with her, and she had a couple
more shots just rim out.”
Doctors have diagnosed McDugle with a stomach condition believed to be related
to prolonged exposure to medicine prescribed for back ailments. She has since
changed medications. It is hoped that her condition — which consists of
constant nausea and cramping — will subside as her body adjusts. She is
currently playing as self-tolerated, according to Goshen College head athletic
trainer Bill Kinsey.
Goshen will next hit the road, as the team will face Siena Heights University
on Wednesday. Game time is set for 7:30 p.m. |
  Sophomore
Danielle Haney
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