|
|
NOV.
9 — Goshen Steals Home Opener From Trinity Christian
18th-ranked
Leafs come back from game-long deficit to win 62-59 in OT |
Goshen,
IN — In last season’s magical Mid-Central Conference
Championship run, Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski had his
team playing its best basketball late in the year.
Tuesday night’s 2004-2005 home opening tilt against a tough
Trinity Christian
College team was a microcosm of that ideal.
After trailing by as many as 14 points in the first half and leading only at
the game’s outset — a 2-0 advantage at the 19:26 mark — Goshen
turned up the defensive intensity and allowed the Trolls just 16 second-half
points, forcing overtime and eventually winning by a 62-59 score. Wiktorowski’s
team nabbed 14 steals in the win, and kept Trinity Christian to just an eight
for 23 shooting effort (35 percent) in the second half in coming back from a
38-26 deficit at the intermission.
“Even though they got up on us early, I didn’t think we were playing
bad basketball,” Wiktorowski said. “We just had small breakdowns
of which they really took advantage. The second half our team defense really
picked up, and we got some key stops late.”
Goshen (1-1, 0-0) looked sluggish at the game’s outset, getting down 27-13
at the 9:15 mark in the first half. The Leafs cut that deficit to seven points
on four different occasions in the waning minutes of the first period, but a
Trinity Christian jumper and three-pointer at the buzzer extended the visitor’s
lead to 12 at the break.
With the Roman Gingerich Center crowd yearning for a push, the Leafs got it
through
their defense: Wiktorowski’s squad limited the Trolls to just eight points
in the second half’s opening 12 minutes, closing the gap to 46-40 with
7:55 to play. Trinity Christian would recapture a 10-point lead at the 6:50 mark,
but a 14 to four Leafs run over the game’s final six minutes knotted the
score at 54 with 26 seconds to play. Senior Candice Williams capped off that
run with a nice isolation basket in the post, forcing Trinity Christian to try
to make a play to win it in regulation.
After each team turned the ball over, it was the Trolls that had a decent look
at the basket with two seconds remaining. Trinity Christian’s baseline
jump shot was just long, and the teams headed to overtime.
With the momentum clearly in Goshen’s favor, the host Leafs were able to
score first to start the extra period as sophomore Danielle Haney got inside
position for a power move in the post. Trinity kept the score close for the entire
stanza, but it was freshman Kelsy McKee who drove down the left hand side of
the lane to give the Leafs the final 62-59 cushion with just 24 seconds to play.
Again both teams traded turnovers, and Trintiy’s Katie DeKoekkoek could
not convert a three-pointer at the buzzer.
Goshen forced the Trolls into 16 second half turnovers (the visitors had 25
on the night) and was able to withstand an average shooting night (20 for 54,
37
percent) thanks to a dominant performance at the free throw line (18 for 21,
85.7 percent compared to Trinity’s eight for 10 performance).
“We got some key defensive stops late in the game and started to get the
ball inside for some high percentage shots,” Wiktorowski said. “That
really got our offense going and helped us get the win.”
Goshen was led by senior Erin McDugle’s 20 points on six of 12 shooting,
all despite a recurring stomach illness that has slowed McDugle’s conditioning
throughout the pre-season. Williams poured in 19 on a six for 15 shooting performance
to complement four steals, while Haney chipped in 10 points and a team-leading
six rebounds. McKee finished with nine points in her first home collegiate game,
while senior Kortney Hanson finished with a team-leading five assists in 38 minutes
of work.
“I thought Candice Williams really picked up her aggressiveness and played
more like we need her to tonight,” Wiktorowski said. “Our guards
played really good perimeter defense, and the defensive play of Kelsy McKee was
outstanding. Erin McDugle battled through illness and played tough inside. Now
we must continue this level of defensive play and make our offense more consistent.”
Goshen will not have much time to work before its next game — the Leafs
host Illinois Tech Thursday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m. |
  Sophomore
Danielle Haney
|
|
|
|
