GOSHEN, Ind. — Austin Branagan led all scorers with 26 points and Robert Sanders added a career-high 13 on Saturday as Goshen College lost its men's basketball conference opener 72-56 to the University of Saint Francis in Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.

Michael Bowers added 11 points for the Maple Leafs (2-5, 0-1 Crossroads League), who hit the first basket of the game and went on an 11-2 run in the first half but never led again. Bowers and Sanders each connected on three 3-pointers and Branagan had four to tie for the game high.

The Maple Leafs went 12-of-28 (43 percent) from beyond the arc, matching their most long-distance dials in a conference game since 2017. Sanders also posted a career high with his three 3-pointers.

Saint Francis (5-0, 1-0), which received votes in the preseason NAIA coaches poll, led by as many as 16 points in the first half and posted a 41-27 lead in the locker room at halftime. The 72-point output matched their lowest of the season.

David Ejah led USF with 20 points while being limited to 27 minutes due to foul trouble after picking up a pair of offensive fouls in the second half. Antwaan Cushingberry added 15 points and Dan McKeeman had 14; Lance Dollison led all players with 8 rebounds to go with 12 points.

Cushingberry and Bowers tied for the game high with 6 assists; five players finished with 2 steals. Each team had 25 rebounds, but Goshen posted a threefold edge (9-3) on the offensive glass.

Goshen's 11-2 run cut the deficit to 21-14 with 9:13 left in the first half, but Saint Francis canned 18 of the next 23 points to flesh the lead out to 17. The Maple Leafs got as close as eight on four occasions in the second half.

GC finishes its pre-Thanksigving schedule on Tuesday at 8 p.m. against Taylor University; please note that the game does in fact begin at 8 p.m. in Goshen, a change from some earlier schedules.