By Chandler Ingle
Sports Information Intern

GOSHEN, Ind. — The last 30 seconds seemingly lasted a lifetime as Bethel College narrowly defeated Goshen College 55-54 in Crossroads League women's basketball action Wednesday evening at Gunden Gymnasium.

Freshman Keyaira Murff notched her first career double-double with 14 points and 10 caroms to pace the Maple Leafs (1-12, 0-4). Guards Mariah Roe and Carley O'Neal added their names to the list of double-digit scorers with 11 and 10 respectively while Sydney Stein grabbed a game- and season-high 12 rebounds to go along with her six points.

Goshen ended the first quarter on a 20-3 run to close the frame with a comfortable 22-12 advantage. The run, primarily sparked by a pair of three-pointers from O'Neal and Roe, came after the Maple Leafs found themselves in a quick 9-2 hole to begin the night. Bethel (4-7, 1-3) missed its first shot before knocking down four in a row in the opening minutes.

Murff and Donnae Lipinski also added four points apiece in Goshen's first-quarter run. Lipinski ended the night with eight points in just over 11 minutes of play.

That lead, however, dwindled to six points at 33-27 heading into the break. The second half brought a different story, as the lead that was once a comfortable 10-point edge was relinquished for the last time 38 seconds past the middle of the third quarter as Bethel seized control with a 9-0 run, leading 48-42 after three periods.

Like the December weather outside, the teams went cold in the fourth quarter: Goshen held Bethel to 2-of-15 shooting, enabling the Maple Leafs to keep the margin within four points despite a 4-of-15 performance of their own. Two Claire Rauck free throws pulled Goshen within 51-49 at the 7:23 mark: Kamala Glenn answered to put Bethel back up four two possessions later, the last points either team would score until the last two minutes.

"I give credit to Bethel for coming out in the second half and seize all momentum," said Goshen head coach Stephanie Miller. "We simply didn't have the poise to regain control of ourselves. Others capitalize on our mistakes while we struggle to do the same in return."

But, the Leafs would simply not go down without a fight. Goshen held Bethel to 2-of-15 shooting in the final quarter, enabling the Maple Leafs to keep the margin within four points despite a 4-of-15 performance of their own. Two Claire Rauck free throws pulled Goshen within 51-49 at the 7:23 mark: Kamala Glenn answered to put Bethel back up four two possessions later, the last points either team would score until the last two minutes.

Murff scored to trim the margin back to two points with 1:47 remaining; despite stops on the next three Bethel possessions, the Maple Leafs got no closer and were forced to foul. Bethel's Kelsey Brickner hit two free throws at the 0:14 mark; a 3-pointer from O'Neal with eight seconds remaining provided late-game excitement but punched the final key in the scorebook.

"I've said it before, but I'll say it again: I love this squad," proclaimed Miller. "I believe in this team, but unfortunately I haven't found a way to get them to believe in themselves as much as I, and the coaching staff, believes in them."

Goshen owned the glass, outrebounding its conference rival to the tune of 48-34, but gave back two-thirds of that advantage by turning the ball over 17 times against eight giveaways

The contest was Goshen's last home game in the year 2017 as the team takes an extended two-week break for final exams. After an alumni scrimmage on December 16 and an exhibition game against Western Michigan on December 19, the team laces its sneakers back up for regular-season play again on December 20 at the University of Michigan-Dearborn. Tip-off for the contest is set for 5:30 p.m.