GOSHEN, Ind. — Keyaira Murff set a new season high and came within one of her career high with 13 rebounds Saturday and Graysen Cockerham sank her 100th career 3-point field goal, but the Goshen College women's basketball team lost 67-55 to the University of Saint Francis in a Crossroads League game at Ruth Gunden Gymnasium.
Murff led all players with 10 rebounds in the first half and TaNiece Chapman cleaned the offensive glass 5 times on her way to 8 rebounds for the day, but the Cougars erased a 32-24 halftime deficit with 39 points in the second half.
Saint Francis (10-8, 5-4) was led by 16 points, 4 assists and 3 steals from Cassidy Crawford, 15 points from Meleah Leatherman and 14 from Alexis Thorbahn. Elise Scaggs led the team with 6 rebounds. The team turned the ball over 18 times but made up for it by shooting 50 percent from the floor and 59 percent from 3-point range.
Goshen (5-14, 3-7) got 9 points apiece from Chapman and Kiarah Copeland, the latter of whom led all players with 4 steals. Murff and Janara Flowers each scored 8 points and Claire Rauck added 7. The Maple Leafs turned the ball over 11 times, their second-lowest total of the season, but also shot 25 percent from the floor and 20 percent from long range.
GC's 19 offensive rebounds were the most in more than a year, going back to a 21-rebound performance against Spring Arbor on Jan. 22, 2020. Conversely, the team's 16 defensive rebounds were the fewest in more than a year (Indiana Wesleyan on Jan. 8, 2020). Saint Francis recorded 5 offensive and 24 defensive rebounds.
After falling behind 5-0, Goshen jumped in front with a 13-2 run in the first quarter. Six players contributed at least one point to the spurt with the team pulling ahead 9-7 on a Flowers 3-pointer with 3:55 left in the opening period. USF snapped a four-minute scoring drought, but Goshen finished the quarter on a 5-0 run and led 18-11 courtesy of a Rauck 3-pointer just before the buzzer.
The Cougars trimmed the lead but never took it in the second quarter, scoring 9 of the first 11 points on three 3-pointers to pull within 21-20. Goshen responded with 11 of the next 12, including a personal 5-0 spurt from Copeland, to take its largest lead of the game at 32-21 with 1:42 left. USF went down and canned a triple before neither team scored in the final minute.
Again, Saint Francis moved first in the third quarter, scoring 8 of the first 10 points with Leatherman doing half the damage. Murff responded this time, scoring 4 points in succession, and Copeland had another 4-0 run that put the team up 45-39 in the final minute. USF had the last say, though, getting a basket, a rebound and a fast-break layup in a 22-second span to close within 45-43.
After a pair of empty possessions to start the fourth quarter, Daysia Hinton capped a personal 5-0 run with a 3-pointer at 8:14 to put the Cougars in front, ending Goshen's lead after 25 minutes and 41 seconds. GC added another 46 seconds to that figure when Chapman scored to put the team back ahead at 6:04, but Leatherman answered with a 3 two possessions later and Saint Francis never trailed again.
That triple started a Cougar run of 11 consecutive points and 17 of the next 19. Goshen missed seven of its last eight shots from the floor with three turnovers in the last five minutes.
The Maple Leafs made 20 of their 26 free throws for 77 percent. The 20 makes were two short of their season high.
Goshen is back in action Wednesday night at Taylor University. The Maple Leafs tip off with the Trojans, who are receiving votes in the NAIA coaches poll, at 5 p.m. inside Odle Arena. The earlier-than-usual start is prompted by the playing of a doubleheader: the men follow at 8 p.m.
