UPLAND, Ind. — Conner Funkhouser scored 19 points for Goshen but Taylor University took control in the opening minutes and knocked off the Maple Leaf men's basketball team 73-55 in Crossroads League action Tuesday night at Odle Arena.

Goshen (17-12, 9-8) scored the game's opening basket before going 7-for-24 from the floor over the final 19 minutes of the first half and trailed 35-23 at the intermission. Taylor (13-16, 7-10) shot 48 percent for the game while Goshen shot 35 percent and each team had an identical 9-for-24 mark from three-point range.

Austin Hayden added 16 points and Dominique Bolden 10 for GC. All three of the double-digit scorers tied for the team lead with five rebounds. Funkhouser and Devin Heath-Granger dished three assists apiece. Bolden was credited with three steals.

"You can't go on the road in any league, let alone the best league in the country, and play poorly and expect to win," said Goshen head coach Neal Young. "We were prepared but we didn't execute offensively or defensively in terms of doing the things we know we need to do to be successful. Offensively, we did a good job of drawing two defenders but didn't make good decisions after that in terms of getting the ball to the right guys. Defensively, we let their three-point shooters get way too comfortable and did not do a good enough job of finishing possessions and stringing stops together so we could get back in the game."

The Trojans pulled down 44 rebounds to their guests' 27. Kyle Stidom and Lane Vander Hulst led all players with eight caroms. Stidom also scored a game-high 21 points on 7-for-11 shooting. Taylor made 13 of its 17 foul shots in the second half, closing off another avenue for Goshen to get back in the game.

"At the end of the day, it's still just one loss," said Young. "We can't let Taylor beat us twice. Instead we need to get over the loss and immediately shift our focus to Marian." 

While Goshen lost, the team it was chasing lost as well as Bethel College dropped an 81-70 decision at league-leading St. Francis. Grace also knocked off Marian, moving the Lancers and Maple Leafs into a tie for fourth place. Since the Maple Leafs hold the tiebreaker over Bethel, Goshen could still finish as high as third place, but it will need help from Spring Arbor (which plays Bethel Saturday) to do so. The Crossroads League is expected to release full tournament seeding scenarios on Wednesday.

Of course, all of that conjecture will be moot for Goshen without a win on Senior Day. The Maple Leafs will look to level the season series with Marian when the game tips off at 3 p.m. in Gunden Gymnasium.