MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — Conner Funkhouser scored a team-high 16 points and Xavier Newson posted his fourth double-double of the season as Goshen College dropped a 75-70 decision to Mount Vernon Nazarene University in Crossroads League men's basketball Tuesday night at Ariel Arena.

Josh Ashwill posted a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists for the Cougars (19-8, 8-7), who led by as many as 14 points in the second half.

Goshen (10-17, 3-11) responded to that hole by scoring 15 of the next 18 points, closing the score to 57-55 and then 59-57 with 5:33 remaining. In the spurt that spanned 5:50, the Maple Leafs got five points from Dominique Cartier and four apiece from Christian Grider and Kevin Phillips. GC was 5-for-8 from the floor while MVNU went 1-for-3 with two free-throw misses and three turnovers.

Unfortunately, the run left Goshen two points short of the lead and MVNU scored the next five points to stretch its lead back to three possessions with 2:48 left. Ashwill went 7-of-8 at the foul line in the final minute to ice the win.

MVNU's Brett Vipperman led all players with 24 points. Conner Funkhouser led Goshen with 16 points: Billy Geschke added 12 and Cartier 10. Cartier also added a team-high five assists while Devin Heath-Granger had two steals.

The Cougars started 20-for-35 from the floor and finished the game 27-for-49 for a 55.1 percent clip; they went 6-for-20 (30 percent) at the 3-point line. Goshen finished 27-for-65 (41.5 percent) from the floor and 6-for-15 (40 percent) on triples. Each team made exactly five-eighths (62.5 percent) of its foul shots.

Each team also finished with 34 rebounds, but the hosts posted all seven blocks and racked up a 21-12 assist edge. Goshen forced 10 turnovers while giving the ball up eight times.

The loss leaves Goshen and Marian tied for ninth place in the Crossroads League with three games left in the regular season; both GC and MU could finish as high as seventh, although they play each other in the final game of the season on Feb. 18. Huntington and Grace currently hold the final two spots in the eight-team CL tournament.

Goshen returns to the floor on Senior Day when it hosts Taylor at 3 p.m. Saturday.