MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - After a ten-game losing streak, the Maple Leafs women's basketball team ended the drought with a 75-69 win on the road at Mount Vernon Nazarene. Goshen is 3-1 against the Cougars in their four most recent meetings.
Sa'drea Rougeau recorded her first double-double, and
Zion Neat now has back-to-back 20+ point games for the first time in her collegiate career.
"It feels great to get back in the win column," said head coach
Stephanie Miller, "but mostly, it feels great to see the girls celebrate and remember what we are capable of."
MVNU made three three-pointers in the first quarter but was held to 0-16 shooting behind the arc in the final three quarters. Goshen led 21-19 after the first. Although they struggled in the second quarter on 3-16 shooting, they were 2-2 from three and were only down two at the half.
Goshen shot the ball well in the fourth quarter - hitting seven of their ten shots and going 10-14 at the free-throw line. They had a ten-point lead with thirty-six seconds left before winning the game by six.
Rougeau scored 17 points, had ten rebounds, and tied a career-high with five steals. Now averaging 9.8 points per game this season, Rougeau has scored 13+ points in four of her last five games. Neat had a season-high nine rebounds to go with her 21 points.
Zoe Zellers was also close to a double-double. She provided nine points and eight rebounds off the bench with no turnovers in 19 minutes. "Zoe was more aggressive and went hard to the rim, and as always, really anchored us on the glass from the trenches," said Miller.
Syanne Mohamed scored 13 points with five rebounds and two blocks. Nine of them came in the fourth quarter from hitting four major baskets and a free throw.
Miller mentioned that Neat hit some timely buckets when needed, and Rougeau pushed the ball hard in transition and put tremendous pressure on the MVNU defense. Yet she primarily emphasized the 19 combined rebounds between the two players. "We needed to limit Mount Vernon's second-chance points, and the guards helped us put on the glass today," she said.
It is the second straight season that Goshen has won at MVNU. The Cougars were ranked #24 in the NAIA last year when GC won 69-61 in Mount Vernon. "This was a nice confidence boost for us as we head down the home stretch," Miller shared. "It also allows us to regain focus on working for the conference tournament." Goshen remains in the hunt for the eight-seed in the Crossroads League tournament, which was helped by losses from Huntington and Bethel today.
Goshen is at Grace on Wednesday, February 8, at 7:00 pm.
