Goshen, IN — During an injury-plagued, 14-game losing streak that spanned nearly two months, it appeared that the youthful Goshen College women’s basketball team was a year away from playing the brand of basketball Steve Wiktorowski has come to expect in his time as head coach of the Leafs’ program.

In reality, all it took was one win.

Ever since Goshen snapped its streak of losses with a 55-54 win over Siena Heights on Dec. 29, things have changed dramatically for the team, culminating with Wednesday night’s 69-57 win over Bethel College in a game that was far less competitive than the final score indicated. The win was Goshen’s first Mid-Central Conference victory of the season and stretched its current win streak to three games, playing by far its best basketball of the season in a dominant performance from start to finish.

“Everyone again played their roles really well tonight whether they were starters or substitutes,” Wiktorowski said. “Hopefully getting a win against a quality team like Bethel will give us some confidence as we have to go on the road for our next couple of MCC games.”

Wednesday against the Pilots, Goshen (4-14, 1-4) used a dominant first half of play to capture a 37-19 halftime lead, stunning the Bethel faithful that made the short trip to the Maple City. Following a 13-12 Bethel lead at the 10:55 mark, Wiktorowski’s team went on a 25 to six run to end the period, holding the Pilots to just a seven of 32 first-half shooting clip (21.9 percent) while making 13 of 25 shots (52 percent) on their basket. That disparity — coupled with a zero for 14 Bethel effort from three-point land in the first half — gave Goshen plenty of breathing room at the intermission, leading Wiktorowski to comment that his team’s execution was tops on the year thus far.

“We moved the ball well, shot with confidence and didn’t panic when we were in tough situations,” Wiktorowski said. “The first half was the best offensive basketball we have played this season.”

And while Goshen’s shooting touch cooled slightly in the second half (nine for 26, 34.6 percent) and Bethel’s increased (16 for 41, 39 percent), the Leafs never surrendered control of the game thanks to a puzzling defensive scheme and deft interior passing. Goshen’s lead grew to as many as 20 points (a 45-25 lead with 14:28 remaining) and remained at 18 with 6:40 remaining (60-42) before Bethel’s defensive pressure and some Leafs’ lapses at the free throw line allowed the margin to dwindle only slightly. A pair of Goshen turnovers and four straight missed free throws helped the Pilots to close to a 64-53 deficit with 1:14 remaining, but a big three-ball from freshman Rachel Canen and two made free throws by sophomore Sarah Arnold restored the Leafs’ lead to 16 points. A pair of late Pilot baskets cut the advantage to the final 69-57 margin.

Goshen placed three players in double-figure scoring for the sixth time this season, with freshman Troyanna Scott leading the way charting 15 points on six of 11 shooting. Classmates Kendra Fights and Canen added 13 and 11, respectively. Junior Danielle Haney scored just four points but grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, while sophomore Sarah Arnold scored six and handed out six assists to just two turnovers. Sophomore Jess Buller scored eight points, while classmate Carly Feldman tallied seven on a three for three effort from the floor.

On the game, Goshen converted just 19 of 31 free throws (61.3 percent), but Bethel only attempted 12 charity tosses, making nine (75 percent). The Leafs’ defense kept the Pilots to just a two for 27 effort from three-point land (7.4 percent), and not even 22 offensive rebounds for Bethel could overcome the stout defensive effort put forth by Wiktorowski’s team.

In a testament to the program’s upside for the future, only four of Goshen’s 69 points on the night were scored by an upperclassman (Haney), the lone junior on the squad. The Leafs’ freshmen also attributed for over half of the team’s points (39), all completed with freshman and leading scorer Krystal Duensing sitting on the bench with a surgically repaired ACL.

“Scott, Fights and Carly Feldman all are beginning to give us some inside offense,” Wiktorowski said. “Canen and Jess Buller gave us some outside shooting and got the ball inside well. Sarah Arnold did a superb job of defense on (Bethel junior) Abby Noll and did a good job of running the offense and handling their pressure defense late. We weren’t quite as sharp in the second half offensively, but we got the ball inside better for high percentage shots or fouls. Bethel never gave up, hit the boards hard and were never out of it. But we handled the press well enough and hit enough free throws to still control the game at the end.”

Goshen will next look to keep its surge going at MCC foe Huntington University on Saturday. A win at the Merillat Complex would be the team’s first victory away from the Roman Gingerich Center this season. Game time is set for 1 p.m.