MOUNT VERNON, Ohio - Zion Neat started the job and Ava Lickliter finished it in Goshen's 67-59 win at Mount Vernon Nazarene, the first Crossroads League win of the season for the Leafs. This was Goshen's fourth straight win against MVNU and also their fourth straight win in Mount Vernon.

The game had a slight delay after an official called in sick just over an hour before tipoff as the teams worked to see if they could get a third official. The game started with two officials and ended with a third that was able to join in. The delay didn't harm the Leafs. Zion Neat got off to a hot start with nine points within the first three minutes of the game. Goshen had a quick 14-4 lead, but that advantage was cut to three by the end of the first quarter.

The Cougars outscored the Leafs 21-12 in the second quarter and had a 12-point lead with under five minutes to go in the third - their largest lead of the night. However, Ava Lickliter came up big with seven points in the third quarter to start to steer Goshen back in the right direction.

She continued with five points and three steals in the fourth and Goshen tied the game with four minutes to go. It was a part of an 11-0 run after they had already had a 9-0 run going from the end of the third quarter into the fourth. Lickliter had a momentous driving layup with 1:25 to go in the game to put Goshen up four. Goshen finished on an 8-0 run and capitalized on MVNU's nine fourth quarter turnovers. In addition to Lickliter's three steals, Neat and Syanne Mohamed each had two steals in the quarter.

After losing nine straight against the Cougars between February 2017 and March 2021, Goshen has now won six of the last seven matchups. Neat finished with 18 points, six rebounds, three steals and two assists. Lickliter had 15 points, four steals, three assists and three rebounds. Her four steals is a season high, she had five against MVNU last year. Lickliter has scored in double-figures four times this year. She did that three times in all of last season. Syanne Mohamed had her 13th career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. She added two steals and two assists. Zoe Zellers had a strong showing with nine points and seven boards - both her second-most of the season. Both teams made four three-pointers, but Goshen did so in nine fewer attempts. Goshen outrebounded Mount Vernon Nazarene 48-41. Goshen scored 12 points offof turnovers in the fourth quarter, whereas the Cougars had ten points total in the fourth.

The Leafs (4-4, 1-2 CL) picked up their first road win of the year. They host #16 Marian at home on Saturday, December 7, at 1:00 pm. The theme for the game is a white out and you are encouraged to bring stuffed toys to throw onto the court for the annual Toys for Tots Blizzard game.