(Box
Score) Goshen, IN — Honoring its lone senior prior to tip-off, Goshen’s Mid-Central Conference tilt with Taylor University got off to an emotional start at the Roman Gingerich Center Saturday afternoon.
That enthusiasm carried into the outset of the game, as the Leafs exploded to a 10-3 lead.
Unfortunately, that’s where Taylor’s compassion ended.
The Lady Trojans put together an 18 to two run in the middle of the first period to turn a 17-12 Goshen advantage into a 30-20 lead of their own, never looking back in a 71-50 win. Senior Danielle Haney played in what — in all likelihood — would be her last game in a home uniform, as the tilt marked Goshen’s last home regular-season contest of the year.
Honoring just one senior for the first time under fifth-year head coach Steve Wiktorowski, Goshen (6-22, 1-13) was unable to reverse a saddening trend: The loss marked the Leafs’ third consecutive defeat in a final home game.
“We battled hard for our only senior, Danielle Haney, but just couldn’t quite match up to Taylor today,” Wiktorowski said. “It was really a tale of two different halves of shooting. If we would have knocked down just a few more of our open, second-half shots this game could have been different.”
Goshen knocked in 47.6 percent of its first-half tries, a stat that helped propel the team to its early lead. A three pointer from sophomore Krystal Duensing opened the contest, while a triple from Haney at the game’s 16:55 mark made it a 10-3 Leafs’ lead.
With 12:49 to play in the first half, Goshen led by a 17-12 score, but it was at that point that things went south for the squad. The Leafs came up empty on 15 of their next 16 possessions — shackled by eight turnovers — helping Taylor to push ahead by a 30-20 score with 5:20 remaining. A basket from freshman Chloe VanDenBrink ended the drought at the 3:28 mark, but the Lady Trojans responded by scoring 11 of the half’s final 15 points to claim a 41-26 lead at the break, Taylor’s biggest advantage of the stanza.
“We got off to a great start and shot the ball pretty well most of the first half,” Wiktorowski said. “But they changed defenses on us after the first 10 minutes of the game and it really affected our composure. We gave up some turnovers for easy scores and really got out of our offensive flow.”
An improved defensive effort made things tougher on the visitors in the second half — Taylor made just 37.5 percent of its second-period field goals compared to 55.2 percent in the first half — but cold shooting on Goshen’s own end spoiled any comeback effort. After falling behind by a 58-34 score with 9:23 to play, the Leafs made their best attempt at a run, blanking Taylor by a nine to nothing count over the game’s next three minutes.
Trailing 43-58 with 6:23 remaining, Goshen could get no closer. Misses on five of the Leafs’ next six possessions gave Taylor enough breathing room, as the visitors eventually recaptured a 66-45 lead with just 2:43 on the clock. Wiktorowski’s team would not get closer than 19 points in the game’s final two minutes of play.
“I thought we played good defense the second half and made them work hard overall for shots,” Wiktorowski said. “However, while we regained our composure and created better offensive opportunities, we really struggled to put the ball in the basket. We didn't get ourselves as many inside looks or free throw opportunities as we usually do, and settled for too many jump shots on the perimeter and they rebounded well on the defensive end.”
Goshen made just eight of 13 free throw attempts (61.5 percent) while Taylor converted on 14 of 18 charity tosses (77.8 percent). The Leafs made eight of 25 three-point attempts (32 percent), attempting the third-highest amount of threes on the season.
Duensing led the Leafs’ pace with 10 points on three of seven shooting, adding a team-best five assists to just two turnovers. Freshmen Ashley and Kimmie Hummer scored eight points apiece, with Kimmie notching four steals.
“Our starters got us off to a very good start today and played with confidence early,” Wiktorowski said. “I thought after that the difference in experience really showed in that our freshmen and sophomores got a little rattled by the defensive pressure of their juniors and seniors. I was proud of how we continued to battle the second half. But they are well coached and didn't panic on the road, and so were more consistent over 40 minutes offensively than we were.”
Haney, in her final game in a home uniform, scored seven points on a two of six shooting effort. She collected two rebounds and dished out a pair of assists. Wiktorowski spoke of his only senior on the public address system prior to the contest.
“Danielle will always hold a special place in my heart and thoughts as her college coach,” he told the Roman Gingerich Center crowd. “I will always remember her as my first recruit here at Goshen College and how much we wanted to sign her. I will also think of her as one of the most committed and hard working players I have ever coached, and as someone who wouldn't quit when the breaks of the game didn't go her way. She has fought through many injuries during her career, especially a season-ending ACL injury as a freshman that kept her from starting on our team that went to nationals. Through it all she has set an outstanding example of personal fortitude, class on and off the floor, and academic excellence. She has meant more to this program than she knows and will be sorely missed.”
Haney and company have two regular-season contests remaining — both on the road — before the possibility of an MCC Tournament berth is fully realized. Goshen will travel to Huntington University on Wednesday for its next MCC meeting. Game time is set for 7 p.m. in the Merillat Complex.
|
Senior Danielle Haney