The Goshen College men’s basketball team had varying results this past weekend in the Best Western Hoopfest hosted at Gunden Gymnasium. The Leafs (1-2) started the weekend on a hot note by posting a 75-58 victory against Lourdes University (1-1). Conner Funkhouser, a junior, created the spark for the Leafs throughout the contest by scoring 12 of his team-high 21 points off the bench. Funkhouser finished the contest shooting 8-for-12 from the field, while adding three of the team’s five three-point field goals. Xavier Newson, a senior, added 16 points in just 19 minutes. Billy Geschke, a junior, also reached...

By Chandler Ingle • November 10, 2016 • Sports

Successful regular seasons for both the men’s and women’s basketball teams gave the Maple Leafs momentum heading into the conference tournament last week. The teams hope their recent success will lead to at-large invitations to their respective national tournaments as well. The women finished the regular season with a record of 23-7, going 15-3 and earning second place in the Crossroads League. The season wrapped up with a tough win on the road on Saturday, February 20 over third-ranked Marian University by a score of 73-60. The men also hosted the Knights back in Gunden Gymnasium, and after 40 minutes...

By Andrew Snyder • March 3, 2016 • Sports

For the first time ever, Goshen has swept Bethel in both men’s and women’s basketball in the same season. Saturday afternoon the Maple Leaf basketball teams traveled to Mishawaka and got the job done against fierce rival Bethel College. Goshen’s 19th-ranked women posted a 77-60 victory while the men took down the 11th-ranked team in the nation by a much closer margin, winning 62-59. The women started off the afternoon and a close first quarter ended with a one-point advantage for the Maple Leafs, 21-20. Goshen increased its defensive intensity in the second quarter and it paid off, as the...

By Andrew Snyder • February 18, 2016 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s basketball team got off to a hot start against Huntington University Saturday afternoon and didn’t look back as they cruised to a 72-52 victory. On the road, the Maple Leafs jumped out to a quick 11-4 lead in the first five minutes and kept the advantage for the rest of the half, with the lead as high as 10 points at the 12-minute mark. The score rested at 37-29 in favor of the Leafs at the half. Goshen’s lead continued to grow in the second half as the Leafs outscored Huntington University 35-23, propelling Goshen to...

By Spencer Buttermore • February 11, 2016 • Sports

The Goshen men’s basketball team got off to a quick start against Mount Vernon Nazarene University Saturday afternoon, and was able to hold strong and earn a 72-63 victory at home. The Maple Leafs jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after two minutes of play in a game during which Goshen never trailed. A pair of made free throws from Kevin Phillips, a junior, created Goshen’s biggest lead of the contest, 17-4, with 11:22 left in the first half. However, the Cougars stayed afloat and reduced the lead down to six at the break, 31-25 in favor of Goshen....

By Andrew Snyder • February 4, 2016 • Sports

The Goshen men’s basketball team got off to a slow start Tuesday night at Spring Arbor University, but were able to heat up after halftime and earn an 89-79 victory on the road. The Maple Leafs were able to keep the game close in the first ten minutes, staying within three or four points of the Cougars. A three-pointer at the 9:42 mark sparked a 14-2 run for Spring Arbor, leaving them up 38-25 with less than five minutes left in the first half. The lead extended up to 40-33 at the half for the Cougars, and they continued that...

By Spencer Buttermore • January 28, 2016 • Sports

A late first half surge proved to be the difference as the Goshen College men’s basketball team earned their fourth Crossroads League win, beating the Taylor University Trojans 91-73 Tuesday evening in Gunden Gymnasium. Both teams came out on fire, trading baskets for the majority of the first half. With seven minutes remaining until the break, the teams were all knotted up at 20-20. This is when Goshen erupted, going on a 12-0 run while holding the Trojans scoreless for just over four minutes. Goshen ended the half outscoring the Trojans 21-7 and went into the locker room up 40-27....

By Chandler Ingle • January 21, 2016 • Sports

Both Maple Leaf basketball teams picked up key wins against fierce rival Bethel College in front of a filled Gunden Gymnasium Saturday afternoon. The women posted a 71-52 victory while the men took down the 12th-ranked team in the nation by a much closer margin, 76-74. Both women’s teams started with a sluggish first quarter, which ended with a one-point advantage for Goshen, 11-10. Goshen hit their stride in the second quarter and used a collective effort to push the lead to 36-17 by halftime. Seven Maple Leafs found their way into the scoring column in the first half, with...

By Andrew Snyder • January 14, 2016 • Sports

Three years and four schools later, a former Goshen College basketball standout, Kody Chandler, finds himself back in a Maple Leaf uniform. Chandler came to Goshen as a highly touted recruit. As a 6’1” guard out of Schoolcraft High School in Michigan, Chandler was a two-time all-state winner and Kalamazoo Gazette player of the year. In his high-school career Chandler averaged nearly 22 points per game and went on to two state finals. As a senior, Chandler led his team to an undefeated season and state championship. Following his senior season, Chandler decided to continue his career as a Maple...

By Chandler Ingle • January 14, 2016 • Sports

This Tuesday, the men’s and women’s basketball teams traveled to Mount Vernon, Ohio to take on the Cougars. Both teams were victorious and continued their strong starts to the season. The women were led by Tyra Carver, a senior, and Gabby Williams, a junior, to a comfortable 72-53 victory. Carver led Goshen with 20 points and Williams chipped in 13 along with 10 rebounds for a double-double. The women improved their record to 9-1 (2-0 in conference). Unlike the women’s game, the men’s game came down to the wire, with the Leafs pulling out a narrow 74-72 victory. The men...

By Michael Walker • December 3, 2015 • Sports

The Goshen College men’s basketball team will facilitate a community league this fall. The Goshen Elite Fall Basketball League will run on Sunday evenings beginning September 13, and is open to any high school sophomore or junior basketball player with hopes of taking their game to the next level. Freshmen will be admitted on a case-by-case basis. In this league, there will be eight regular season games followed by a single-elimination tournament. Along with the games, the $100 registration fee will include a Goshen Elite Fall Basketball League t-shirt, coaching from the GC coaching staff and a designated team coach,...

By Michael Walker • September 3, 2015 • Sports

Goshen College men’s basketball lost against Bethel College on the night of Tuesday, February 25 in the Crossroads League quarterfinal, 84-77. Four minutes into the contest Bethel College used a 14-5 run to take a 23-13 lead in the early going, but after a Goshen timeout the Maple Leafs came to life. Goshen slowly chipped away at the deficit before claiming a 30-27 lead with 6:23 remaining in the first half. Bethel would respond taking a 35-30 lead after a Zach Miller basket, but the Leafs scored 6 of the next 7 points to knot the score at 36-36 with...

By Luis Pérez Lerchundi • March 5, 2015 • Sports

The last time the Goshen Men’s basketball team played Mount Vernon Nazarene, the game came down to the final second as MVNU’s Eric Roby tipped in a shot at the buzzer to knock off the Maple Leafs 67-66. This time Goshen made sure Mount Vernon’s final shot wouldn’t matter. The Maple Leafs earned payback as well as a big conference win Tuesday night as they beat the visiting Cougars 85-77. Mount Vernon scored 17 seconds into the game to take a 2-0 lead. It was their only lead of the night, which would only last a total of 11 seconds....

By Seth Wesman • February 12, 2015 • Sports

On Saturday afternoon, Goshen’s men’s and women’s basketball team hosted a double header against Grace College. Both Maple Leaf teams had defeated Grace earlier in the season in exciting games, but the visiting Lancers avenged those disappointments with two exciting wins of their own. The Goshen women started the day’s first game by jumping out to a quick lead over Grace, scoring within the first 30 seconds. The Maple Leaf and the Lancers traded early lead changes throughout the first half until Grace got the lead and held it for the final 3 minutes of the half, taking a 33-29...

By Seth Wesman • February 5, 2015 • Sports

The Goshen Men’s basketball team saw a month of ups and downs continue when they were defeated Tuesday night on the road by the Pilots of Bethel College, 83-78. The defeat dropped the Leafs’ record to 4-4 on the month and was Goshen’s third loss following a win in January. Goshen played evenly with Bethel for most of the first half, before the Pilots went on a 13-4 run in the final 5 ½ minutes of play before halftime. Bethel entered the break with a 39-30 lead; a lead they would never relinquish. The Maple Leafs regrouped at halftime and...

By Seth Wesman • January 29, 2015 • Sports