By Andrew Snyder
Sports Information Intern

GOSHEN, Ind. — Sophia Sears became the 15th member of the Goshen College women's basketball 1,000-point club, but the 13th-ranked Wildcats of Indiana Wesleyan University proved too much for the Maple Leafs in a 60-52 game Wednesday night in Gunden Gymnasium.

Chelsea Winner keyed a quick start for the Wildcats (7-3, 2-0 CL), scoring four of the first eight points as the visitors took an early 8-0 lead. Goshen (4-6, 0-2 CL) struggled shooting in the first quarter, going 3-of-15 (20 percent) from the field; Haley Archibeque's 3-pointer midway through the stanza led the Maple Leafs in scoring. Indiana Wesleyan's starters stayed on the floor the entire quarter, using 8-of-16 shooting from the floor to take an 18-7 lead into the quarter break.

Sears, Gabby Williams, and Lynnia Noel all entered the scorebook in the second stanza, tallying six, four and two points respectively, but the three seniors were the only Goshen players to score in the second 10-minute stretch. The Wildcats didn't do much better, seeing three players score in the second quarter as well, led by Carly Lange with five. In fact, neither team outpaced the other in the period: the two sides offset each other's scores 12-12, and heading into the halftime break Indiana Wesleyan held a 30-19 advantage.

IWU outrebounded Goshen 23-15 in the first half, led by Haley Woodruff with a game-highs seven boards and eight points. Williams' six points led Maple Leaf scorers, while three players tied with a trio of rebounds.

Winner again opened the scoring in the third quarter, stretching the Wildcat lead to its game-high 13 points. But this time, the early run was Goshen's: the Maple Leafs responded with a 9-0 streak that stretched out to 21-6. Goshen took its first lead of the game, 40-38, with a minute left in the stanza. But a pair of free throws tied the game and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Kelsey Key would give the lead back to Wesleyan, 43-40, heading into the fourth quarter. Noel led Goshen with seven points in the third.

Indiana Wesleyan scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth period, ensuring that Goshen's first lead of the game would be its only lead. The Wildcats got balanced scoring in the last quarter: the first four baskets came from four players with six different players tallying between points to rack up a total of 17. Noel continued to lead Goshen's scoring, recording six of her team-high 17 for the night.

The Maple Leafs would get within three on two separate occasions in the fourth, including Sears' 1,000th point on a layup with 35.1 seconds left to put the score at 55-52. But Goshen was unable to get a steal or a trap on the inbound pass and was reduced to fouling. The Wildcats knocked down five of six free throws in the final half-minute and Goshen's dwindling opportunities proved fruitless, leaving the game to end on a 5-0 run.

"I want to focus on congratulating Sophia Sears on reaching the 1000-point club at Goshen tonight," Goshen coach Stephanie Miller said after the game. "She has been such a special player and person within our basketball family, and who she is as a person is somehow even more impressive than what she is as a basketball player. It has been a pleasure coaching her every day, and despite a tough loss tonight I want to recognize what a tremendous investment Sophie has made to this program and how important she is to what we do every day."

A Paoli, Indiana native, Sears reached a four-figure scoring total in 96 career games. She joins 2016 graduates Jo'Mani Thomas, Liz Tecca and Tyra Carver to make four thousand-point scorers in Goshen's last two senior classes, with current senior Lynnia Noel 108 points away. Sears also appears on Goshen's top-10 lists in steals, assists, three-point percentage and free-throw percentage.

Goshen shot 23-of-57 (40.4 percent) from the floor; Noel led with 17 points while Williams contributed 14 points alongside a game-high eight rebounds. Indiana Wesleyan shot 22-of-57 (38.6 percent) from the field and won the rebound battle 39-33. Woodruff led the way with 12 points and seven boards, while Lange added 11 points and Key finished with 10.

"The most costly things tonight were some of the things we are working hard to correct," Miller said. "We are putting ourselves in too big a hole early on and fighting to make up for it late. We are turning the ball over during 'winning time' down the stretch. We are not taking care of our glass well enough. We are trying to get a crash course in experience with some of our new players, and the 'closing games' mistakes right now are the kinds of experiences we need to get this team prepared. We're learning toughness the hard way and it's going to help us down the stretch."

 "I'm not happy or satisfied with where we are right now at 4-6," Miller concluded. "But I will say it again: we will be all right. I have faith in this group and they will continue to fight. Don't sleep on Goshen right now because even when it may not look like it on paper, we are coming."

The Maple Leafs return to their home hardwood against the University of Saint Francis on Saturday at 1 p.m., kicking off a doubleheader that concludes with a Goshen-USF men's game at 3. Pregame coverage begins at 12:45 p.m. on 91.1 The Globe, Goshen's award-winning radio station.