GOSHEN, Ind. – The Goshen men's basketball team advanced their record to 2-1 after beating Graceland (Iowa) 84-79 in their second game in the Comfort Inn Halloween Classic.
 
Graceland started strong – building a 15-8 lead early. But the Maple Leafs had an 8-2 rally to come back and make it closer. The Yellowjackets ended the half on a 9-3 run and led 39-32 going into the break.
 
Not long into the second half, Goshen turned it up a notch.  For a 3 minute and 56-second stretch, Goshen went on a 17-1 run which resulted in them taking a 53-45 lead after being down by eight. The Leafs maintained a narrow lead until Graceland tied the game at 75 with 1:23 to go. They made a couple of free throws to take a 77-75 lead, but a basket and free throw by Ryan Mansbarger gave Goshen a 78-77 lead. The Yellowjackets had more opportunities to score thanks to some offensive rebounds. However, the Maple Leafs held on and won in the end, 84-79.
 
"After last night, it would've been very easy to fold today," said head coach Jon Tropf, in reference to Goshen's 85-70 loss to Aquinas (Mich.). "But our guys didn't. I'm very proud of our guys' resiliency."
 
Goshen exploded with 52 points in the second half compared to 32 in the first. Elias Ramirez had a big game, scoring 29 points and shooting a perfect 7-7 from the free-throw line. Michael Johnson had 23 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three blocks. In the second half, Goshen shot 67% from the field and 80% from three.
 
"We talked about being ready to go into a fight before the game, and we didn't back down," Tropf said. "Our guys deserve the credit for executing and making big plays late."
 
In the second Saturday game in the Comfort Inn Halloween Classic, Saint Francis (Ind.) beat Aquinas (Mich.) 80-63. With the tournament now behind them, Goshen now plays three games on the road. Wednesday, November 3^rd at 7:00 pm they will play at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College. Then on Friday, November 5^th at 7:00 pm the Leafs will play Eastern Michigan in an exhibition match. The next home game for Goshen is Saturday, November 13^th at 3:00 pm against Madonna (Mich.).