(Box Score) Goshen, IN — A youthful Goshen College women’s basketball squad faced an uphill challenge Tuesday night, facing a veteran Indiana Wesleyan University team in the 2006 Mid-Central Conference season opener for both institutions. Ranked fourth in the nation in the NAIA Division II pre-season Top 25 poll, Indiana Wesleyan returned seven upperclassmen from its 2005-2006 squad that reached the NAIA National Tournament’s “Sweet 16” round.

It was a poor night for Goshen to produce its lowest offensive output in three seasons.

Goshen (2-6, 0-1) dropped a 28-52 decision to the Wildcats, attempting just 32 shots from the field and making nine, the team’s worst performance offensively since the 2004-2005 season. The Leafs suffered a 25-48 loss at MCC foe Huntington University on Feb. 9 of that season (click here for related article), which remains as the lowest offensive total under fifth-year head coach Steve Wiktorowski.

While the Leafs’ performance Tuesday night at the Roman Gingerich Center didn’t set a new record, it was entirely too close to the vicinity for Wiktorowski.

“Our young team had a lot of trouble getting off shots and scoring points against their senior-dominated defense,” Wiktorowski said. “They played well defensively and their switching man-to-man forced us to take some tough shots many times with the shot clock running down. But I thought we tried hard to show some patience and at times improved our offensive execution. Playing a team of this caliber now will help us down the road with confidence as our offense develops more and helps us to be more competitive on the scoreboard.”

Goshen baskets were tough to come by from the outset, as Indiana Wesleyan raced to a 13-5 lead just seven minutes into play. The Wildcats would slowly work to a 33-12 advantage at halftime, limiting Wiktorowski’s team to just a three for 16 effort from the field (18.8 percent) in the first half. A three-pointer by sophomore Krystal Duensing and five made free throws between freshmen Ashley and Kimmie Hummer kept the Leafs from being limited to single-figures in the game’s first 20 minutes.

While struggling offensively, Goshen did tighten the screws on the defensive end of the floor. After allowing Wesleyan to can 50 percent of its attempts in the first period (13 of 26), the Leafs limited the visitors to just an eight for 20 second-half performance (40 percent), competing hard on the boards (Indiana Wesleyan gained a slight 30 to 25 edge in total rebounds) and generating six steals.

“I thought there were definite positives to our play tonight,” Wiktorowski said. “I felt we competed well defensively and on the boards. They have a very balanced offense that can score from both the inside and the perimeter with lots of movement, but yet I thought they had to work hard for shots.”

The Wildcats pushed their lead to 31 points midway though the second half (a 47-16 advantage), but Goshen closed the game stingy defense. Indiana Wesleyan only scored five points over the game’s final 11:20, as the Leafs put together a 12 to five run to close within the final margin.

No players charted double-figure scoring for Goshen, as Duensing and Ashley Hummer led the way with six points apiece. Freshman Chloe VanDenBrink scored five and grabbed four rebounds, while sophomore Troyanna Scott grabbed a team-high six boards.

“I thought everyone made positive contributions tonight, at the very least on the defensive end,” Wiktorowski said. “We have really struggled with rebounding the past couple games and I thought we showed marked improvement there. I thought Chloe VanDenBrink played well against good competition and (sophomore) Kendra Fights showed more aggressiveness. (Junior) Katie Sowers worked very hard on both ends and played with good purpose. Krystal Duensing shot well, but we just need to get her and our entire team more shots on a consistent basis. I think the Thanksgiving break will do our young team some good to get away and recharge for the next part of the season up to Christmas, and hopefully we will make some good improvement based on what we've gone through up to now.”

Goshen will take a week-long layoff for the turkey holiday, as the team will return to action next Wednesday when Taylor University-Fort Wayne visits the Roman Gingerich Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m.