GOSHEN, Ind. — Tahj Curry led all scorers with 20 points, Michael Bowers added 18 on 7-of-12 shooting and Kedrick Bibby chipped in 13 off the bench for Goshen College in an 80-70 men's basketball defeat against Lawrence Technological University on Monday night in Gunden Gymnasium.
Goshen's three double-figure scorers hit 19 of the team's 26 field goals, going 19-for-33 from the floor and combining for 14 rebounds. Curry led the team with 3 assists and Bowers had a pair.
Lawrence Tech (1-0) had all five starters score in double figures, led by Isaiah Cumberland and Gunnar Gustafson with 16 points apiece. Cumberland was a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line and Gustafson added 11 rebounds for a double-double. Brandon Beavers also posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds to go with a game-high 8 assists.
The Blue Devils outscored Goshen (0-1) 23-14 at the foul line and 27-12 from the 3-point stripe. Goshen finished with a 42-29 edge in points in the paint, but Lawrence Tech had the upper hand on missed shots, grabbing 38 boards to Goshen's 22.
GC went on the first run of the game after about five minutes, holding the Blue Devils without a field goal for 5:15 as the Maple Leafs scored 9 straight points to go up 18-13. LTU responded with 7- and 6-point runs of its own, though, taking back the lead with 3:54 left and holding a 32-28 edge at the intermission.
Goshen scored seven of the first nine points coming out of the break, taking the lead back on a Bowers bucket with 18:12 left in the game. The teams traded blows over the next 13 minutes, culminating with a Bowers 3-pointer to give the hosts a 62-61 lead with 5:11 left.
The hosts didn't know it at the time, but their road would be uphill from there. Gustafson went to the foul line on the ensuing Blue Devil possession and sank one free throw to tie the game. While he missed the second, Cumberland scored two offensive rebounds later for a reverse old-fashioned 3-point play and LTU went on an 8-0 run in 116 seconds to take a 69-62 lead.
Curry pulled the Maple Leafs back within 5 at 69-64 at the 3:03 mark. Two scores per team later, Sanders cut the deficit to 6 with 1:51 remaining. While Goshen got the stop it needed, the Blue Devil offense bailed itself out with a pair of offensive rebounds: by the time Alek Ivanovic sank a 3-pointer to make it 77-68, the clock had also run down under a minute remaining.
Ivanovic finished with 12 points and Carter Frantz had 15 for LTU. The Blue Devils spoiled the work of Goshen's defense in the first half: the 32 points that GC allowed was its fewest against an NAIA opponent since holding the same Blue Devil team to 29 last year.
The Maple Leafs hit the road for the first time this season on Saturday when they begin a three-game road trip at Concordia University in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Please note that the game tips off at 3 p.m. EST and not the 7:30 p.m. shown on some earlier schedules.
