GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College women's basketball team got 35 points from its bench Saturday afternoon and led for more than 37 minutes in a 67-49 win over Ohio Christian University at Gunden Gymnasium.

Taniece Chapman paced Goshen with 15 points, 11 rebounds and a pair of blocks while Kiarah Copeland added 13 points. That duo combined for 48 minutes and 10-of-13 shooting off the bench. Sydney Stein and Graysen Cockerham led the Maple Leaf starters with 9 points apiece.

Helaina Limas led all scorers with 38 points for Ohio Christian (1-6), sinking 14 of her 25 shots from the floor and 14 of her team's 15 field goals. Goshen's defense held the Trailblazers to 25.4 percent (15-of-59) shooting and 4-of-20 (20 percent) from long range while forcing 17 turnovers.

OCU got on the scoreboard first with a 3-pointer by Limas at the 7:49 mark of the opening period, but the Maple Leafs (6-2) scored 14 of the next 15 points and led by as many as 14. Goshen used a 15-9 rebounding advantage to put up a 14-7 edge in the second quarter, opening a 36-21 lead at halftime.

Chapman paced the Maple Leafs with 11 points and 5 rebounds in the first half, which saw the hosts shoot 48.1 percent (13-for-27) while holding Ohio Christian to 19.4 percent (7-for-36). Stein added 8 points and 5 rebounds while Haley Archibeque had 4 assists and Graysen Cockerham 3. Limas scored 18 before halftime.

Each team put up 18 points in the third quarter as the Trailblazers got 7 field goals despite going without a second-chance opportunity. Copeland led Goshen with 6 points as the team maintained its double-figure lead throughout, leading 54-39 with 10 minutes to play. The hosts grabbed the rebound after 10 of the 13 missed shots and added a quartet of free throws.

GC's defense ruled the final quarter, keeping a lid on the basket during the run of play except for Limas' fast-break goal in the final minute. An 11-1 Maple Leaf run spanned more than four minutes and ran the lead out to a maximum of 24 points at 67-43 with 2:41 left. The teams combined for 15 fouls over the last 10 minutes, going 12-for-19 at the free-throw line.

Quoting Goshen head coach Stephanie Miller:
"This was a very productive weekend for our team. Even though we experienced a very difficult fourth quarter Friday night, today we were able to pick ourselves right up today and get right back at it. That is a very good mental moment for us. When you are growing throughout this process, every team experiences these ups and downs, but the tough teams learn the tricks on how to handle themselves during the difficult moments. Eventually we will be better as a result of what we learned from the Viterbo game. I really liked how we responded today in this bounce back game against Ohio Christian.

"Today we attacked them well in the paint consistently, rebounded well, and got a ton of high-percentage shots both in the halfcourt and in transition. Although Limas had a record night, we took OCU out of a lot of their sets and disrupted their execution. We still need work on cleaning up the turnovers, but once we get cleaner with the ball and our decision making, and do a better job not giving extra possessions away, we will really begin to climb another step on the ladder. Until then, we could also lose to anyone on any day if we don't get sharper in that category.

"I have been pleased with our gang-rebounding approach, but Stein, Cockerham and Chapman all went to glass the hard tonight. Haley continued to set up our scorers well and pushed us up in transition, while Copeland stepped up offensively tonight and looked to aggressively attack their paint. Chapman was an absolute nightmare for them to handle in the paint, and she has been gaining confidence as we head into conference play. Her double-double tonight was impressive and she is playing extremely strong on the offensive glass. I was pleased with a great team win tonight and am looking forward to the challenge of taking on an excellent Mount Vernon Nazarene team at home next week."

Up Next: Goshen hosts Mount Vernon Nazarene on Tuesday in the team's Crossroads League opener and the final game before the Thanksgiving holiday. The women's game tips off at 6 p.m. followed by the men at 8.