(Box
Score) Goshen, IN — Though Goshen College women’s basketball head coach Steve Wiktrowski may have refused to address it publicly, it was clear that Wednesday’s Mid-Central Conference tilt with rival Grace College was highlighted on his calendar.
After all, with the Lancers possessing just a single MCC win — that coming over Goshen in overtime on Jan. 6 (click here for related article) — Wednesday’s game presented Wiktorowski’s team with a myriad of story-lines:
Redemption. After coming close in several league contests, none were closer than the Leafs’ 68-71 loss in Winona Lake in early January.
Momentum. Goshen had been playing well as of late, taking third-ranked Bethel College to overtime in its last contest while playing fourth-ranked University of St. Francis to a 28-32 deficit before falling.
Post-season implications. If the Leafs wanted a shot at making the MCC Tournament, it would more than likely have to start with a win Wednesday night, as that result would push Grace and Goshen to equal 1-12 league records.
True to form, Wiktorowski didn’t mention any of that following a 61-54 win Wednesday night, a victory that snapped an eight-game losing skid that began with the aforementioned loss to Grace on Jan. 6. What Wiktorowski did mention was that his team could be peaking at the right time, with just three regular-season games remaining on the schedule.
And now, perhaps only now, a post-season berth a possibility.
“Obviously it was very nice to get a conference win tonight,” Wiktorowski said. “While we have had some competitive games in the conference, we are starting to put more consistent offensive minutes together and the last two games it has enabled us to put ourselves in a position to win. Hopefully we can continue to do that these last two weeks of the season.”
Goshen (6-21, 1-12) spent the greater part of Wednesday’s first half trying to pull away from the Lancers, only to have the visitors continue to hang around. After a made three pointer from sophomore Kendra Fights made it a 23-15 Goshen lead with 3:24 remaining in the period, Grace went on a 10 to four run to close the half, trailing by just a 27-25 count at the intermission.
Both teams made 10 of 28 total shots in the period (35.7 percent) while both teams grabbed five offensive rebounds and 12 defensive boards. Both squads handed out six assists and committed six turnovers, while the only true difference was in free throws and made threes: Goshen knocked in four of 12 from deep (33.3 percent) while making thee of four from the line (75 percent), while Grace made three of 10 treys (30 percent) while making two of two freebies.
“Statistically the first half was about as even as possible,” Wiktorowski said. “We tried to shut down their guards, but had trouble stopping their inside game.”
It was at that point that Wiktorowski elected to utilize more full-court pressure on defense.
It resulted in 12 second-half turnovers for the Lancers.
Propelled by its newfound defensive pressure, Goshen scored eight of the second period’s first 10 points, grabbing a 35-27 lead just three and a half minutes into the stanza. Grace cut the lead to 36-34 with 14:22 to play. Back-to-back layups from freshmen Kimmie and Ashley Hummer rebuilt a 40-34 Leafs’ lead with 12:31 remaining.
Down the stretch, Grace would do its best to get close, but Wiktorowsk’s team had an answer every time. After the Lancers pulled to within 47-43 with 7:38 on the clock, Fights buried a three pointer. With Grace fighting to a 57-52 deficit at the 2:16 mark, it was Ashley Hummer making a slippery move inside for two.
And with Goshen still hanging onto a seven-point lead with :46 seconds on the clock, sophomore Krystal Duensing added the dagger. With the shot clock winding down and virtually nothing happening for the Leafs on offense, Duensing weaved her way into the paint and lofted a floating, one-foot runner that found nothing but the bottom of the net.
A last-moment Grace basket would alter only the score. Goshen had its first MCC win of the season.
“In the second half we went to more full court pressure which resulted in some scoring opportunities off turnovers and made it a little more difficult for their guards to enter the ball into the post,” Wiktorowski said. “Grace did a good job with rebounding and getting to the line, while we had a very positive assist to turnover ratio of 18 to nine for the first time this season. It got us some extra shots, we hit a few more threes, and most importantly we withstood a couple second-half runs they made and stopped their guards at the end.”
Goshen’s nine total turnovers was a season-low for the squad, while the team’s 18 helpers was the third-best total on the year. Fights led the team with 15 points on a five of nine shooting performance that included a four of five effort from three-point land. Duensing added 12 points and six assists. Ashley Hummer — despite suffering a bloodied nose late in the first half — scored 10 points on five of 10 shooting. Sister Kimmie added five points, five assists and eight rebounds, while Fights grabbed six rebounds in her own right.
“I thought a real key tonight for us was the play of Krystal Duensing and Kendra Fights,” Wiktorowski said. “Duensing did a great job with six assists and just one turnover, hit a couple big threes when we needed them, and helped cause turnovers. Fights struggled the first half defensively, but was more aware of positioning the second half and her four three pointers may have been the difference in the game. Both the Hummers did a good job of attacking the basket the second half and applying pressure to their guards.”
While both Grace and Goshen have three regular-season games remaining, the squads’ current 1-12 league records could prove for an interesting situation at the season’s end. If both teams finish with one win each, the MCC’s tie-breaking procedure would be used to determine which team advances to the MCC Tournament. If that happened today, Goshen would qualify for the tournament via point-spread with Grace: The Leafs' seven-point win outdid Grace's three-point win in January.
“We’re just going to play each game as hard as we can,” Wiktorowski said. “We’re not going to think about anything other than that.”
Goshen will play its final regular-season home contest on Saturday, when Taylor University will visit the Roman Gingerich Center. Game time is set for 1 p.m.
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Sophomore Kendra Fights