HUNTINGTON, Ind. — Tahj Curry led the Goshen College men's basketball team with 26 points and 5 assists Wednesday night as the Maple Leafs closed out their 2020-21 Crossroads League road schedule with a 118-69 loss at Huntington University in Platt Arena.
Ryan Mansbarger led the Maple Leafs (3-23, 0-15) with 7 rebounds to go along with 12 points, which he acquired by sinking half of the team's six 3-pointers along with a conventional field goal and a free throw. Curry also added 3 triples and contributed 6 rebounds while Quincy Mussio chipped in 10 points and 6 boards of his own.
Ben Humrichous scored a game-high 29 points for Huntington (16-9, 7-8), connecting on 13 of his 15 shot attempts and adding a 3-pointer for good measure. Wyatt Hughes added 20 points off the bench thanks to four 3-pointers and four other Foresters scored in double figures. Humrichous also led all players with 9 rebounds while Mitchell Wilson added 6 assists and Peyton West had 3 steals.
The Foresters shot 62 percent from the floor in the first half, when they scored 56 points, and then outdid themselves in the second half by shooting 67 percent overall and 64 percent from 3-point range for another 62 points. Goshen clocked in at 42 percent from the floor and 27 percent from 3-point range for the game, though the Maple Leafs went 17-of-31 (55 percent) overall after halftime.
Huntington made hay in the post, scoring 70 points in the paint and racking up 28 assists on 48 makes while turning the ball over 6 times. That led to a 30-10 edge in points off turnovers as well.
Curry led Goshen with 5 assists; Robert Sanders had 4 in addition to the team's lone steal. Braden Kingery blocked a shot and added an assist as well.
Huntington led from the jump, getting the first points of the game from Humrichous 21 seconds into the game, but Goshen kept pace by tying the score at 2 and 4. It was 8-6 in the hosts' favor with five minutes elapsed.
GC's fourth field goal of the game came from Sanders at the 8:07 mark of the first half, bringing the Huntington lead to 30-9. The Foresters ripped off the next 8 points as well and led by 26 at halftime.
The Maple Leafs got the deficit down to 20 less than six minutes after halftime when Curry and Phillip Hughes combined for six straight Goshen points. Huntington answered that with an 18-5 run and reached the century mark on a Wyatt Hughes triple with 6:11 left.
Sanders answered with a 3-point play at the other end, but the Foresters still had 19 points in the tank. Curry added a bucket with 1:53 remaining, but he and Sanders left the game immediately thereafter in favor of Micah Spatt and Drew Hackman, each making their collegiate debuts. Spatt connected on his only shot attempt while Hackman missed a 3-pointer in the final seconds.
Goshen will close out the season on Saturday as it recognizes three seniors — Curry, Kingery and manager Michael Hunnicutt — before the final game of the year in Ruth Gunden Gymnasium. The Maple Leafs will host NAIA no. 17 Bethel University at 1 p.m. in another installment of the U.S. Highway 20 Cup rivalry series.
