(Friday Box Score) (Saturday Box Score) Canton, OH — For the majority of Goshen head coach Steve Wiktorowski’s roster, this weekend’s Malone College Tip-Off Classic was the first overnight trip in the realm of college basketball.

And while ultimately dropping a pair of games — Goshen lost to Geneva College by a 55-58 score Friday and to Daemen College by a 50-74 count Saturday — the Leafs’ leader said he thought the experience was good for his young team.

“This was the first long road trip and overnight stay for us this year, and I thought that the tournament was a good learning experience for us,” Wiktorowski said. “I felt we had trouble getting off the bus and getting focused to play that Friday night against Geneva. We did a lot of talking after that game about the mental aspects of playing any opponent and the importance of taking advantage of certain opportunities. The next day we came out much more focused and ready to play.”

Goshen (2-5, 0-0) took the floor following a four-hour bus ride against the Golden Tornadoes Friday and, despite a sluggish start, stayed even with Geneva throughout the contest. An early 19-11 Geneva lead was quickly erased following a 17 to two Leafs’ run that spanned 10 minutes, giving Goshen a 28-21 advantage with just 2:42 remaining in the first half.

Geneva eventually pulled to a three-point gap with just five seconds remaining, and a three pointer at the halftime buzzer tied the score at 30-30.

Friday’s second period was similar to the first — Geneva again raced out to an early lead — but Wiktorowski’s team would not falter. After trailing 41-46 Goshen responded with a seven to two run to tie the game at 48-48, while a made layup by freshman Chloe VanDenBrink gave the squad a 50-48 lead with 6:46 to play.

With chances to take the lead down the stretch, however, the Leafs came up short. Following VanDenBrink’s go-ahead layup, Goshen missed nine of its final 10 shots from the floor, helping Geneva to a 58-55 lead with just seven seconds remaining. Sophomore Krystal Duensing had a look at a game-tying three pointer as time expired, but her shot caromed off the rim.

Freshman Kimmie Hummer led Goshen in scoring with 16 points, while Duensing added 12. Sophomore Troyanna Scott scored seven points and grabbed a team-leading nine boards, while junior Katie Sowers added nine and five. Goshen committed 24 turnovers in the contest and shot just 29.6 percent from the floor in the second half (eight for 27), greatly impeding its chance for a win.

“We were never mentally sharp and killed ourselves with mental mistakes and breakdowns in execution and fundamentals,” Wiktorowski said of Friday night’s contest. “They were much sharper, but yet we were able to keep it close and give ourselves a chance to win at the end. We missed a couple shots from the floor and free throws, and so lost against a team I felt we were very capable of beating.”

Facing a much stronger and deeper Daemen team the next afternoon did not help Wiktorowski’s seven-man unit, as Goshen lost a battle of attrition by a final 50-74 count. In a contest that Goshen never led — a made jumper by Duensing tied the game just once at 2-2 — the Wildcats eventually grabbed a 10-point lead midway through the first half and never looked back. Daemen led 37-26 at the intermission, and captured a 20-point lead midway though the second period.

“After our post-game talk Friday, I thought we came out much sharper on Saturday,” Wiktorowski said. “Daemen, however, was a very big and strong team who also came out with great determination after experiencing a similar fate the night before. I felt we battled very hard and executed much better, but the toll of playing such a physical team as the second opponent in a two day span was too much for us. We put up a great fight, but I thought we ran out of gas about midway through the second half. Having only seven players available for full time service did us in and their depth began to take over. But I was proud of how we bounced back emotionally from the night before and hope it will be a lesson that will serve us even more in the future.”

Goshen failed to post any players in double-figure scoring in the loss, while three players — Duensing, VanDenBrink and freshman Ashley Hummer — all scored nine points. Scott provided a monstrous 13 boards, while both VanDenBrink and Ashley Hummer each grabbed six caroms.

Goshen did force 19 Daemen turnovers, but the Leafs shot just 26.3 percent from the field (15 of 57) in the loss.

Wiktorowski’s team will look to rebound from the weekend experience with yet another tall task on the immediate horizon, as Goshen will host fourth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan University in the teams’ Mid-Central Conference opener Tuesday night. Game time is set for 7 p.m.