The Goshen College men and women’s basketball teams faced Bethel University last Saturday, in what was a pride night and US Highway 20 matchup. The women’s team team beat the local rivals 81-77 but the men’s team fell 101-70.

For the women’s game, the first half was evenly matched with a 44-41 halftime score. During the end of the third quarter, the Maple Leafs were trailing 68-62. But six three-pointers in the fourth quarter gave the Leafs the momentum to secure the victory.

Alyson Prigge, a senior, led the Leafs with 24 points and six three-pointers of her own. Janara Flowers, a sophomore, followed Prigge with 15 points and five three-pointers. TaNiece Chapman, sophomore, led with seven rebounds in the game.

Goshen shot 42 percent from the floor and 43 percent from the three-point line. The win was the first in conference play for the Maple Leafs to improve their record to 8-12 on the season and 1-7 in conference.

“Even with the miscues and nervous energy I could not be more happy with my team’s ability to respond and overcome obstacles in this game,” Stephanie Miller, head coach, said. “We had great leadership in the huddle from senior Alyson Prigge and the girls just turned it up.” 

In the men’s game, Austin Branagan, a junior, led the Maple Leafs with 20 points, followed by fellow junior, Sheddick Porter, Jr. who came off the bench to score 10 points. Michael Bowers and Tajh Curry, both juniors, led the team with nine rebounds apiece. 

The Maple Leafs shot 41 percent from the floor and 36 percent from the three-point line. At the half, 11th-ranked Bethel led 48-37, before they continued to dominate the Maple Leafs for the remainder of the game. This loss moved the Maple Leafs to a record of 4-16 on the season and 0-8 in conference. 

Bethel and Goshen each added one ½ point to their US Highway 20 Cup scores. In the cup, Bethel leads by one point, with a score of 4 ½ to 3 ½.

Goshen’s next chance to even out the score is on Feb. 14 and 15 in the Crossroads League indoor track and field championship. Both basketball teams will get another chance to contribute points later on in February, when they face the Pilots once again on the road.

“The US Highway Cup has lived up to expectations so far,” Harold Watson, athletic director, said. “We have seen an increase of attendance at contest when we are playing Bethel. It’s been cool to watch the rivalry grow.” 

Both the men and women’s basketball team can next be seen in action when they travel to Mount Vernon Nazarene University on January 25. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m.