GOSHEN, Ind. — Five Maple Leafs scored in double figures and the Goshen College women's basketball team led for all but 26 seconds as Goshen upset eighth-ranked Indiana Wesleyan 75-67 on Wednesday night in Gunden Gymnasium.

Lynnia Noel scored a season-high 19 points for Goshen (12-5, 4-1 CL), which defeated IWU for the first time since March 1, 2004, and snapped a 24-game head-to-head losing streak. Gabby Williams added 14 points and nine rebounds. Liz Tecca pulled into eighth place on Goshen's career scoring list with a 13-point performance, leaving her with 1,136 career tallies.

Goshen ended the opening stanza with its largest lead to that point, 22-8. The Wildcats (14-3, 3-2 CL) closed the gap to as little as seven points in the second, closing the half down 35-25. Williams scored six points in the third period as the Maple Leafs pulled ahead 54-39 and Noel was 6-for-8 at the foul line in the final 10 minutes to salt the game away.

Noel finished the game 12-for-14 at the line: the Maple Leafs finished with 23 made free throws on 35 attempts, both of which are the second-most of the season for the team. Sophia Sears and Tyra Carver scored 11 points apiece: Sears posted a game-high seven assists.

"We knew that this would only be a big game if we won it, since IWU was ranked in the top 10 and therefore favored," said Goshen head coach Stephanie Miller. "It was a balanced offensive attack and we put tremendous pressure on the top-ranked defense. We knew we had to win the glass and play with pace in order to counter their discipline and defense, and not only did we do it, but we did it convincingly."

"Noel and Williams did a great job sinking their paint presence by scoring inside," Miller said. "Tecca, Carver and Sears all hit key buckets to keep the momentum moving in our direction, and Ward and Williams dominated the glass in a big way. We got great energy minutes off the bench, and even those who were still on the bench provided a spark of energy."

Goshen cleaned its own glass 21 times, three times as many offensive rebounds as the Wildcats pulled down. The Maple Leafs finished with a 46-25 edge in total rebounds, paced by 14 from Keshia Ward.

The teams shot nearly identical field-goal percentages: Indiana Wesleyan was 25-for-58 (43.1 percent), while Goshen had one fewer make on one fewer try (24-for-57, 42.1 percent).

The victory was Goshen's first win over a top-10 opponent since dispatching ninth-ranked Marian 68-57 on Jan. 7, 2015. This year's Marian team leads the conference at 5-0: Goshen is a game behind at 4-1, followed by three 3-2 teams.

"I couldn't be more proud of my staff and players for achieving this goal tonight," Miller said. "These players and coaches have been trying to get to the point where we could beat the team that has represented the pinnacle of the CL for most of the last decade. With our preparation, effort and execution, we deserved this win."

The Maple Leafs will face local rival Bethel next as they look to start 5-1 in conference play. The two schools will play a doubleheader with the women and the men on Saturday: the women tip off the twinbill at 1 p.m. in Gunden Gymnasium.