While the rest of us were coping with cold weather over break, the men’s basketball team took a five-day trip to Florida to play against two quality opponents: Weber International University and Warner University.
In their first contest on Dec. 17, Goshen (11-9) notched a narrow 72-69 victory against Warner University (11-6), ranked #28 nationally. Playing close throughout, Goshen pulled away late and used a strong defensive stand to close out the game.“We dug in on the last possession,” said head coach Gary Chupp, “and got the defensive stop when we needed.”
The Leafs won despite being outshot 51 percent to 42 percent largely because of their ability to hit the outside shot. They hit 10 three-pointers compared to Warner’s two. Juniors Errick McCollum and Nate West led the Leafs with 17 points each.
The following day, Goshen lost a tight game to Weber International University (11-4). Down 46-36 at halftime, the Leafs attempted a second-half comeback but could not put Weber International away, losing 81-79. Despite a strong offensive outing and 27 points from top scorer Errick McCollum, 19 Goshen turnovers led to easy points for Weber International.
“They completely out worked us,” said Chupp, “They pressured us and we really let them take the game to us.”
While in Florida, the team took some time to relax.
“We had a great time getting to know one another in a different setting than the basketball court,” explained Chupp. “Some of the highlights were attending a Magic vs. Spurs game, cleaning Coach Young’s clock in bowling and hanging out at the beach in Daytona.”
Goshen also won against 25th ranked Grace College (10-7) over break before going 1-2 to start the second semester. Their next game is against Marian College at home on Saturday, Jan. 17 at 3:00 pm.
