GOSHEN, Ind. — The Goshen College women's basketball team scored 21 points in a row in the third quarter Saturday and never looked back, topping Bethel University 80-75 in a Crossroads League contest at Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.
The Maple Leafs led by a point, 38-37, late in the first half before Bethel scored the last six points to go into the locker room with a 43-38 lead. The visitors scored 16 of the first 23 points coming out of the intermission, making it a 22-7 run overall, before Goshen scored the equivalent of three touchdowns and three extra points in 4:15 of game action.
Bethel's lead peaked at 14 points, 59-45, with 5:01 left in the third. By the corresponding point in the fourth quarter, Goshen had outscored them 32-8 and the Maple Leafs led by double digits. Goshen was 12-for-21 from the floor over that 10-minute span while the Pilots turned the ball over 6 times, went 4-for-13 from the floor and missed 4 free throws.
BU had a 6-0 run left in it, cutting the deficit to 77-73 with 2:15 remaining, but missed each of its four shots with a chance to get back within one possession.
Graysen Cockerham led the Maple Leafs (5-12, 3-5) with 16 points and 3 steals, making her one of four players to score in double figures on the home side of the ledger. TaNiece Chapman added 14 points, 6 rebounds and a team-high 4 assists while Claire Rauck canned 12 points and Janara Flowers scored 11.
Keyaira Murff came within a point of her first double-double in three seasons: she scored 9 points while leading the team with 10 rebounds and 4 assists as well as blocking a shot. Cockerham added 7 rebounds and Sophia Eli had the other block.
GC's 28-point third quarter was the team's best output of the season: the last time the Maple Leafs scored that many points in a stanza was Dec. 7, 2019, in a 31-point fourth quarter against Saint Francis.
Bethel (4-10, 0-8) got 18 points and 14 rebounds, both game highs, from Kelsey Brickner. She sank 3 3-pointers to lead the team as well, but the rest of the Pilots combined to miss 18 3-pointers in the loss. Alba Garcia added 12 points and Sydney Williams contributed 10.
The Maple Leafs' margin of victory was slim in the shooting stats — 40 percent to 37 percent — and Bethel actually made more 3-pointers, 13 to 10. What the Maple Leafs lacked in percentages, though, they made up for in volume, getting off 76 shots to Bethel's 59 thanks in part to a defense that forced 20 turnovers.
Goshen also assisted on 17 of its 30 field goals.
The score was tied at 17 at the end of the first quarter, marking the fifth deadlock in the opening 10 minutes after 0, 10, 13 and 15. GC ran off seven straight points to start the third quarter before Bethel answered with an 11-4 spurt to tie things at 31. There were also ties at 37 and 38.
Thanks to a scheduled open date on the conference calendar, the Maple Leafs have an unusual schedule next week as they face the University of Saint Francis twice in a four-day span. Goshen will travel to Fort Wayne to meet the Cougars at 7 p.m. Wednesday before welcoming them to Gunden Gymnasium at 1 p.m. Saturday.
Comments from Goshen coach Stephanie Miller:
"I am so proud of the 'no quit' attitude of the team tonight. We weren't able to get enough stops against Bethel's attacking offense early in the game and had trouble keeping them in front of us. When we went to the press, that was the difference in the game. The effort and energy from the players on the floor and the players on the bench was outstanding and overwhelmed them. This is the second game in a row where we played mature down the stretch and handled our business when we needed to.
"We had big performances from the entire team tonight in the second-half comeback. Janara was excellent defensively on Bethel's best player, hit some big baskets for us, and was a steady presence in the game. Graysen and TaNiece continue to show that they are consistent forces to be reckoned with. We also had strong performances from Kiarah, Murff, and Claire, all of whom stepped up in big ways when we needed it.
"This is a second straight big team win for our team and I am proud of the growth I have seen in our toughness in this week's stretch. I look forward to the challenge of seeing USF twice next week and we will work on using this energy to see what we can do."
