Box Score
UPLAND, Ind. – The Goshen College women's basketball team made a second-half run, but couldn't sustain it long enough as they lost a hard-fought 85-72 game to Taylor University Saturday afternoon.
"Today was a tough loss as we put ourselves in a position to win on the road but couldn't finish," said Head Coach Steve Wiktorowski.
After being behind for the entire game – by as much as thirteen points in the first half – the Maple Leafs rallied to take a 66-61 lead with just over eight minutes to play. However, the Trojans responded with a nine-point run and then shortly put the game back out of reach.
Taylor started the game by jumping to a quick 10-2 lead. The Hummer sisters, Ashley and Kimmie, led an eight-point Goshen run by making back-to-back 3-pointers that got the Maple Leafs back into the game at 19-14. It did not last long as Bethany Ballard hit three straight shots, including a long ball as Taylor stretched their lead to twelve. The Trojans would hold onto an eight-point 43-35 lead at half.
The second half started much the same as Taylor came out with the first couple baskets stretching their lead to double-digits again. With 13:10 to go and the Maple Leafs down nine, Goshen went on a 19-5 tear to take their first lead of the game.
After a field goal by Cassie Greives tied the game at 61-61, Krystal Duesning nailed a 3-pointer to put Goshen up. Ashley Hummer added to the Maple Leaf lead shortly after as Goshen led 66-61.
That was the last and only time the Maple Leafs would have the lead. Taylor hit twelve free throws in the final six and a half minutes to cruise to the win.
"We rushed a couple shots and didn't defend well in the lane to lose the lead and then had to foul," explained Wiktorowski. "Free throws were really the big difference in the game as the two teams were very similar in about every statistical category except that Taylor was 24-of-26 from the line and we were only 12-of-24. They lead the NAIA in team free throw shooting and they really made us pay at the end when we were forced to put them at the line as they have no weak shooters."
Freshman Cassie Greives and sophomore Ashley Hummer led the Maple Leafs scoring 17 points each. Greives hit 7-of-10 from the field to go with her team-high eight rebounds. Hummer was 6-of-9 to go with five rebounds and four assists. Ballard and Nikki Kassebaum led Taylor with 23 points each.
"I thought we had some real positives on the road today at a place where we have struggled to play well lately," added Wiktorowski. "We had our second consecutive game of out rebounding our opponents and also had fewer turnovers. We shot fairly well from the floor, just not free throws. We scored well against their zone defense which has given us trouble in the past and our press caused a few turnovers. We had a lot of people play today and all of them made very valuable contributions to a good team effort for the second straight game on the road this week."
Goshen returns back home as they host Huntington University Wednesday at 7 p.m.
"Now we finish the regular season this coming week with two final home games. It will be important for us to carry over the positives from this week into these games on our floor as conference tournament seeding is still very much undecided."
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Junior Krystal Duensing