GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College women's basketball team held the 23rd-ranked NAIA squad in check for most of two quarters, but an 8-0 Indiana Tech run to end the first half started a trend Friday night as the Maple Leafs lost 78-52 to the Warriors in Gunden Gymnasium.
Kyra Whitaker led all scorers with 24 points, including 5 3-pointers and a perfect 5-for-5 mark from the foul line, for the Warriors (5-0). Nineteen of those points came before halftime. She was also one of three players on her team with at least 6 rebounds.
Taya Andrews and Eileen Salisbury added 12 points apiece for Indiana Tech and Emma Tuominen tossed in 11. Alexis Hill led the team with 7 assists and added 6 rebounds, one shy of Erika Foy's team high.
Goshen (0-3) picked up 13 points from Kiarah Copeland off the bench and also got 11 from TaNiece Chapman. Keyaira Murff joined Chapman with a team-high 7 rebounds, while Graysen Cockerham added 6 and Mariah Roe pulled down 5.
The Warriors, who won their 24th straight game to extend a program record, shot 48 percent from the floor (29-for-61) against Goshen's 30 percent (19-for-64). Indiana Tech sank 10 triples and 10 free throws, outdoing Goshen's 6 and 8 respectively.
The teams traded buckets in the first quarter, never opening a gap of more than 4 points in either direction. Tech scored the last four points of the quarter to lead 22-18 after 10 minutes.
Goshen trimmed the lead to 24-22 with four Chapman points in the opening 90 seconds of the second stanza before Tech scored eight straight points to open a 10-point lead. The Maple Leafs battled back to score nine of the next 11 points, getting within 34-31 on a Copeland goal with 2:03 left.
GC missed its last three shots of the second quarter and took a shot clock violation to trail 42-31 at the break.
Tech started the third quarter on a 16-6 run, holding Goshen to one field goal in the first 5:41 to stretch the lead to 21 on a Salisbury triple. Murff and Chapman helped right the ship with field goals before Copeland swished a 3 from an Emily Brandeberry pass in the final minute to bring Goshen back within 63-44.
The teams again traded scores to start the fourth quarter before Indiana Tech put a halt to that, keeping Goshen to 8 points in the last 10 minutes. The lead reached a high-water mark of 27 points.
The Maple Leafs are idle Saturday after their game with Grace Christian was canceled. GC now returns to the floor on Tuesday night for a visit from the University of Rio Grande in Ohio. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m., but as we have all learned this year, schedules are subject to change.
