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NOV.
23 — Goshen Drops First MCC Game To USF
Leafs
struggle early in second half; comeback falls short in 58-65 defeat |
Goshen,
IN — With the addition to Spring Arbor University to the
Mid-Central Conference this academic year, the new nine-team
layout meant that MCC teams had to open league play Tuesday night — more
than a month earlier than the usual January start.
After Tuesday night’s result at the Roman Gingerich Center,
Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski probably wished he had another
full month to prepare.
Behind a strong second half surge, the University of St. Francis Lady Cougars
were able to knock off the defending MCC champs by a 65-58 score Tuesday night,
proving their 7-1 record to be no fluke in its own right: After trading leads
for much of the first half, the Lady Cougars took a 29-28 lead with 1:08 remaining
and never looked back. St. Francis would lead by as much as 23 points in the
second period, and a late Goshen run could only get as close as the final seven-point
margin.
“Overall, I was happy with how we executed offensively and played defense
for the first half, “ Wiktoroski said. “I felt that we let them come
out and dictate the tempo at the start of the second half, though, and we didn’t
rotate out to their shooters very well. They started to hit some threes, we struggled
to score, and the lead quickly got out of hand. On the night, I felt that we
were very competitive for 30 minutes, but the first 10 minutes of the second
half we didn’t compete as hard or play with the same composure as they
did.”
Things couldn’t have started off much better for the Leafs (4-4, 0-1),
as a St. Francis administrative error led to a technical foul on the Cougars
to begin the game. Senior Erin McDugle knocked in two free throws and classmate
Candice Williams scored a layup, giving Goshen an early 4-0 lead.
The Lady Cougars stayed close, however, taking advantage of Goshen turnovers
(21 on the night) while never letting the Leafs get ahead by more than seven
points. After seven lead changes and seven ties, it was the Lady Cougars that
secured a late 29-28 lead with 1:08 remaining in the first period. They increased
the lead to 31-28 at the half, and it was still anyone’s game.
An 11 to three run helped turn the momentum at the start of the second period,
though, as St. Francis took a 42-31 lead just three minutes in. After Goshen
closed the gap to 42-35, St. Francis went on the run of the game, outscoring
the Leafs by an 18 to two count over the game’s next seven minutes. St.
Francis’ 60-37 lead was the largest it would generate, as Goshen slowly
pulled back into the game but never got close enough to make a serious push at
tying or taking the lead.
For the night, the stats were eerily similar: Goshen shot 44.4 percent from
the field (20 for 45) while St. Francis connected on 38.5 percent (25 of 65).
Both
teams drilled seven three-point field goals, while Goshen made 11 free throws
to St. Francis’ eight. Only a five rebound advantage separated the teams
(Goshen led 35 to 30), with each team grabbing five on the offensive end. The
main stat — Goshen’s 21 turnovers to St. Francis’ 12 — was
a big reason for the Lady Cougars attempting 20 more shots than Goshen on the
night.
“In the end, we had trouble containing their quick guards with our press
and they were able to put the game away,” Wiktorowski said. “I felt
our post defense was the best that it’s been this season, but they had
a lot more shot attempts than we did and fewer turnovers. I think we showed we
are capable of competing with the best teams in this conference if we can eliminate
the lapses in aggressiveness and execution.”
McDugle led all scorers with 21 for the game, coming off a seven for 16 shooting
performance. Freshman Kelsy McKee finished with 11 points and five rebounds,
while senior Kortney Hanson contributed nine points and five boards. Williams
chipped in seven points on a three for five shooting effort on the night.
Goshen will relax briefly for the Thanksgiving holiday and will return to the
Roman Gingerich Center Saturday for a non-conference match up with Albion College.
Game time is set for 12 noon.
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  Sophomore
Danielle Haney
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