Goshen, IN — Following Wednesday night’s Mid-Central Conference match up between Goshen and visiting Grace College, a quick glance at the final stats was all one needed to see where the game was decided.

With most stats reading nearly identical for the two teams, one column stood out with stark contrast.

It came in the free throw category.

And Grace dominated it.

Goshen (5-17, 1-7) could not run its home winning streak to five games thanks in large part to allowing Grace 27 attempts at the free throw line — 21 of which came in the second half — as the Leafs fell to the Lancers by a 44-51 score in the Roman Gingerich Center. Grace was able to connect on just 17 of those 27 attempts at the line (63 percent), but that was more than enough, as Goshen made just 10 trips to its charity stripe, making six (60 percent).

“This game was clearly won at the free throw line tonight,” said Steve Wiktorowski, Goshen head coach. “All the rest of the statistics were fairly even. Both teams shot poorly from the perimeter, and the only consistent scoring opportunities for either team were from the block. The key was we allowed them to shoot 27 free throws on our home court, while we only shot 10 and none in the first half. We outscored them from the field, but were unable to make up their 11-point differential from the line.”

On a night where scoring was hard to come by for both teams, it was the free throw line that seemingly provided the closest thing to an insurance policy for points. Game stats were similarly bleak for both squads: Goshen shot just 17 of 55 for the game (30.9 percent) while Grace shot just 15 of 50 from the field (30 percent). Three-point shooting was identical for the teams (both shot four of 18 from behind the arc, 22.2 percent) as was the turnover count (Goshen had 15 and Grace 16). Rebounding was also close, with Grace holding a slight 33 to 30 edge. In the end, the numbers came down to free throws attempted and made, as Grace shot six freebies in the game’s final 1:19 to hang on for the win.

“We talked about how one of the keys tonight was getting fouled while not fouling ourselves, and that is an area where we need to show more discipline,” Wiktorowski said. “In the past we have controlled games at the line, but we haven’t done that consistently very well this year.”

Early on in the contest, it was Wiktorowski’s team that held command, as sophomore Carly Feldman scored the first points of the game just 53 seconds into play. Goshen’s early 2-0 lead would not falter throughout the first period, as the Leafs built a 15-8 advantage with 8:14 remaining. A quick eight to four Lancer run cut the Goshen lead to just three points (19-16) with 5:22 to play, but Wiktorowski’s team hung on to the advantage thanks to some timely shooting late. A three-pointer by sophomore Jess Buller pushed Goshen’s lead to 26-20 with 38 seconds remaining in the half, though a Grace layup just before the buzzer sounded made the halftime score 26-22.

With Goshen beginning to play well, it was obvious that the halftime break did nothing to help the team’s cause. Wiktorowski’s squad came out of the locker room only to come up empty on eight of its first nine possessions in the second half, turning the ball over six times in the half’s first five and a half minutes as the lead dwindled. Grace finally took its first lead of the game at the 14:05 point (a 30-28 advantage) and from there things remained tight: Eight ties and five lead changes were exchanged over the next 12 minutes, setting up a finish that paled in comparison with the heightened level of play that preceded it.

With Goshen trailing by three points with nine minutes remaining, freshman Troyanna Scott began to slowly take over for the Leafs. A Scott layup cut the Grace lead to just 37-38, as the post player would go on to score six of Goshen’s next seven points — along with grabbing two rebounds and a steal — in helping her team to a 42-42 tie with just 5:34 on the clock. Back to back fouls from Scott disqualified her with 4:33 on the game clock, however, and from there the Leafs’ offense became stagnant. Goshen scored just two points in the final four and a half minutes of play — Feldman hit a pair of free throws at the 3:02 mark — while Grace scored four of its final six points at the opposite free throw line. As the Lancers connected on free throws, Goshen came up empty from the field, missing its final eights shots in stumbling to the 44-51 loss.

Scott led the way for Goshen before fouling out, scoring 11 points on five of six shooting from the floor, the only Leaf to score in double figures on the night. Feldman was next in line with eight points and a game-high eight boards, while Buller charted six points on two of four shooting. The Leafs’ recent top scoring threats — sophomore Kelsy McKee and freshmen Kendra Fights and Rachel Canen — went a combined four of 28 from the field in tallying a total 10 points between them.

“The key point in the game for us was probably when Scott fouled out with over four minutes left,” Wiktorowski said. “Grace really had trouble matching her quickness and strength on the inside. She and Feldman were really our strengths tonight. (Sophomore Sarah) Arnold protected the ball well and only had two turnovers. Canen passed the ball well as she had five assists and no turnovers. Jess Buller came off the bench and hit a couple of big threes in the first half. We continue to learn every time we step on the court, and hopefully games like this will only help us down the road.”

Goshen’s tasks do not get easier, as the nation’s ninth-ranked team — the University of St. Francis Cougars — will visit the Roman Gingerich Center Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m.