(Box Score) Palos Heights, IL — The Goshen College women’s basketball team opened its 2007-2008 season at Trinity Christian College Tuesday night, putting forth a solid effort save for one, small problem.
They fouled too much.
Goshen (0-1, 0-0) dropped a 72-60 decision to the host Trolls after committing 28 total fouls — an amount unmatched in any of the Leafs’ 31 total games last year — en route to 36 Trinity Christian free throws attempted. Despite the disadvantage, Goshen remained close down the stretch, trailing by just six points with 1:44 to play.
Trinity Christian — logically — made good use of the free throw line in the game’s final minute and a half, however, knocking in five of eight during the home stretch to eventually open the gap.
“I thought it was evident that this was our first game of the year and our first game on the road as we shot poorly and could never get anything going consistently because of serious foul trouble,” said Steve Wiktorowski, Goshen head coach. “It seemed like just when we found a group that started to play well together, foul trouble would make us break that group up. We just can’t allow the opposing team to shoot 36 free throws on their home floor, especially early in the season when our offense is not fully flowing yet.”
Wiktorowski’s team was able to keep things competitive early thanks to a respectable effort from the floor in the first half (11 for 28, 39.3 percent) and a miserable performance from the free throw line by Trinity Christian. Goshen had five players with two fouls each at the conclusion of the game’s first 20 minutes, only for the Trolls to connect on just five of 10 first-half free throws.
Those factors led to just a 35-29 Trinity Christian advantage at the break, as a pair of free throws and a jumper by sophomore Lindsay Gangloff helped close what was a 10-point deficit to a two-possession game in the period’s final 48 seconds.
“We were very nervous and didn’t play well the first half, but I was pleased that we came back and displayed much more confidence in the second half and stayed within striking distance,” Wiktorowski said.
That confidence did not translate into a better shooting percentage, however, as the Leafs made just seven of 26 total shots in the latter period (26.9 percent). Goshen did begin to pick up the defensive intensity late, holding Trinity Christian to just a nine of 23 effort from the floor in the second half (39.1 percent).
Sadly, fouls became an even larger issue for Wiktorowski’s team, as Trinity Chrisitan went on to shoot 26 total freebies in the second period, connecting on 17 (65.4 percent). Goshen’s efforts were bolstered by a 16 for 20 second-half equation at the line (80 percent), a trait that kept the club in range throughout.
A pair of free throws by sophomore Ashley Hummer gave Goshen a 47-46 lead at the 10:44 mark, but it was then that Trinity Christian put on its biggest run of the night: The Trolls scored 12 of the game’s next 13 points, with half of those points coming at the free throw line. A jumper by freshman Cassie Greives stopped the bleeding at the 5:11 mark, but the damage had been done. Eight turnovers and three missed jump shots from Goshen during the 5:33 stretch was too much to overcome, as the Leafs could not get closer than six points down the stretch.
Junior Krystal Duensing led the way for Goshen, scoring 12 points and adding a team-high four assists. Ashley Hummer scored 11 on a three for five effort from the floor, while senior Katie Sowers scored 10 points and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Kendra Fights added five points and a team-leading eight boards.
Goshen had just one player foul out — Ashley Hummer — while Duensing, Sowers and sophomore Kimmie Hummer each finished with four. The team’s 28 total fouls equaled more infractions than in any contest in 2006-2007, with the Leafs’ 27 total fouls against Bethel College on Feb. 3, 2007 being the closest (click here for related article).
“I thought Katie Sowers really played a strong second half and helped us take the lead in the second half after struggling the first half,” Wiktorowski said. “Krystal Duensing played strong defense and got her hands on a lot of passes and Ashley Hummer had a nice all around game. Cassie Greives, Lindsay Gangloff and (freshman) Erica Emanuel did some very positive things in their first collegiate game for GC. Kendra Fights rebounded well, an area that we struggled in as a team. We did a good job in getting steals and creating turnovers, but we have to do a better job of transforming those things into points, which will come with more experience. Everyone got to play during meaningful times of the game, and with only one senior, this is a young team that I think will improve a lot this year despite a very difficult schedule.”
That schedule gets no easier next, as Goshen will turn around to face a very athletic Indiana Tech team on Thursday at the Roman Gingerich Center. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
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Senior Katie Sowers