South Bend, IN — It was a poor start and the end result wasn’t what Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski was looking for, but there was plenty of good in the middle of a 62-73 loss at Indiana University South Bend Saturday afternoon for the Goshen College women’s basketball program.

Playing away from the Roman Gingerich Center for the first time this season, Wiktorowski’s young team looked the part, initially falling behind by a 17-1 score at IUSB’s Student Activities Center.

That play was short-lived, however, as Goshen’s freshmen unit came alive to score 51 of the team’s 62 total points, helping the Leafs grab a lead midway through the second half before faltering late. In all, Wiktorowski said he was pleased with his team’s effort against an NAIA Division I program.

“After we got down early, I was happy with how our young team responded,” Wiktorowski said. “We handled adversity pretty well against a very talented team, and it would have been easy to just pack it in. We keep making progress each game against good competition, which is important with any young team.”

Coming off a 55-69 loss to NAIA Division II, 12th-ranked Cornerstone University on Tuesday, it was Goshen (1-2, 0-0) that appeared flustered at the outset Saturday. IUSB’s early 16-point lead forced Wiktorowski’s unit to dig itself out of a serious hole, but Goshen responded: Despite shooting just nine of 26 from the floor in the period, the Leafs trailed by just a 27-35 score at the half.

Goshen’s push continued into the second half, where the team secured a 44-43 lead with under 10 minutes remaining. IUSB’s strength and experience paid off down the stretch, however, as the Lady Titans were able to recapture a 10-point lead in the final five minutes of play.

“We cut their lead in half by halftime and came out with a much better start to the second half,” Wiktorowski said. “Their post game and rebounding began to take over late. A few late turnovers sealed our fate, but I was happy with how we were able to come back and keep playing after things didn’t look very good.”

While Goshen increased its shooting in the second half (the team connected on 12 of 26 attempts from the floor, 46.2 percent) IUSB’s multiple-chance possessions and free throw trips were simply too much to overcome. The Lady Titans grabbed 19 offensive rebounds to Goshen’s six (for a 42 to 28 advantage in overall rebounding) while the hosts were able to connect on 14 of 20 free throw attempts (Goshen shot just 12, making eight).

Wiktorowski’s team stayed in the contest thanks in large part to its stellar shooting from deep, as the squad connected on 12 of 25 three pointers (48 percent). Freshman Krystal Duensing was the leader in that department, scoring six of 11 tries from deep en route to a career-high 26 points. Classmate Rachel Canen wasn’t far behind, knocking in five of seven threes for 15 points. Freshman Kendra Fights provided seven points on two of four shooting, while sophomore Kelsy McKee added six points.

“We shot the ball very well from while holding them to seven of 27 (from three-point range, 25.9 percent),” Wiktorowski said. “We did some positive things against their press and I thought our defense kept them from controlling the game with their normal uptempo, slashing style. Our first-year players did some impressive things. Duensing played a great all-around game between scoring, passing and defending. (Freshman) Troyanna Scott gave us a huge lift off the bench against their big posts, and Canen gave us a scoring lift off the bench.”

The team will look to build on its experience when it returns to the Roman Gingerich Center Tuesday night, when the squad will face a similarly-playing Indiana Tech team. Game time is set for 7 p.m.