Overtime Needed, But Leafs Complete Perfect 2-0 Weekend
November 21, 2009
HANOVER, Ind. – The Goshen College men’s basketball team needed an overtime period, but they completed a perfect 2-0 weekend as they competed in the Sodexo Classic at Hanover College Friday and Saturday.
The Maple Leafs started strong on Friday as they cruised past the host 104-89. They hit an impressive 53% from the field and hit 15 3-pointers in the victory.
Saturday did not come as easily. Goshen needed three free throws by senior Errick McCollum as regulation expired to send Saturday’s contest against Denison University into overtime. Once there, the Leafs escaped with a 87-84 win as junior Jeremy Pope stole the ball and drilled a 35-footer as time expired.
Against the hosts on Friday, it was the Male Leafs early shooting that was the difference. Goshen hit 52.4% from the field in the first half. They jumped out to a quick 18-8 lead as junior Simon Szablicki scored 10 of his 14 points in the first five minutes of the game.
“It was a pretty solid effort and I was very pleased with how we started the game out,” said third-year head coach Gary Chupp. “Simon really got us going by shooting the ball well early.”
After Hanover rallied to tie the game at 25-25, McCollum scored nine of his game-high 25 points to lead the Maple Leafs to a 51-37 advantage going into the break.
In the second half it was all Jeremy Pope. The junior came off the bench to score 23 points as Goshen went up by as many as 31 points before going on for the 104-89 win. It is the third time this season that the Leafs have scored at least 100 points.
“Pope really got it going late and shot the ball really well,” Chupp said. “We came out in the second half and went on a run to put them away, but I was a little disappointed with how we ended the game. Overall, though, it was a very good defensive effort.”
Goshen finished with a season-high 15 3-pointers made, including nine from off the bench. Pope hit 7-of-9 from long range as he scored 23 points in just 20 minutes. Senior Nate West Jr. rounded out four Leafs in double figures with 12 points.
“I liked our scoring balance with different guys stepping up at different points of the game,” Chupp concluded.
While Saturday’s contest resulted in an overtime win for Goshen and a perfect 2-0 weekend, Chupp recognized how fortunate his team was.
“We did not play well, but give credit to Denison – they out played us in every facet today,” he said. “They had us beat twice and we got really lucky.”
The Leafs turned the ball over 18 times on the day to just 10 assists, the second worst assist-turnover ratio for them this season. They also allowed Denison to hit 58% from the field on the afternoon.
“We did not guard well today at all,” Chupp explained. “We took a step backwards in terms of the defensive side of the court, but it will be easy to forget about this one and turn our attention to the conference season starting next week.”
While they will put aside the bulk of the game, the final five-plus minutes will not soon be forgotten. Down three with just seconds remaining, the Leafs inbounded the ball to McCollum. With Denison intentionally fouling to prevent a game-tying 3-point attempt, McCollum wisely absorbed a foul and fired up a shot from three-quarters down the court. The costly Denison mistake sent McCollum to the line for three shots, which he drained sending the game into overtime.
With time winding down in overtime and the game tied, Pope stole the ball at his own 3-point line. He then raced down court and launched a running 35-footer with his momentum going away from the basket and towards the sideline.
As the final scoreline says, it was nothing but net.
Pope finished the game with 13, but none more important than the final three. The tandem of McCollum and junior Daniel Butler II scored 50 points on 17-of-28 from the field and 16-of-18 from the free throw line.
Goshen now prepares for the the start of Mid-Central College Conference play on Tuesday when they travel to NAIA DII #9 Indiana Wesleyan University.
