women’s basketball
March 17, 2016
Women’s basketball completes a historic run
“If you told us freshman year that we’d play in a national final four we would have all thought you were crazy,” said Liz Tecca, senior, of the Goshen College women’s basketball team. Well, crazy it is. This past week at the Division II NAIA Women’s National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, the Goshen College women’s basketball team pieced together a magical tournament run that will be remembered forever. After a 15-3 campaign through the conference regular season, the Maple Leafs earned a berth in the Division II NAIA Women’s National Championships as a five-seed in the Liston Bracket, one...
March 10, 2016
Women’s basketball team makes history
The Goshen College women’s basketball team made history on Wednesday afternoon, becoming the first in the college’s history to win a national tournament game when they knocked off the Concordia University Bulldogs with a score of 85-82. With the victory, Goshen advances to the sweet sixteen of the tournament, where they will take on the St. Xavier University Cougars on Friday at 10:15 CST. After 10 minutes of play, the Bulldogs ended the first quarter up 21-18, to which the Maple Leafs responded with a 21-19 second quarter. The teams headed to the locker room for halftime with Concordia up...
March 3, 2016
Success in Conference Tournament Aids National Bid Chances
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...
February 18, 2016
GC women’s basketball to host tournament game
For the first time since 2004, the Goshen College women’s basketball team will be hosting a Crossroads League quarterfinal tournament game in Gunden Gymnasium. The game is set for Tuesday, February 23, tipping off at 7 p.m., with the opponent to be determined after the regular season concludes on Saturday. Boasting a 21-7 overall record (13-3 in the Crossroads League) and ranked 18th in the nation, the women will look to finish out the tail end of their season on a high note and wrap up a second-place finish in the conference. The Maple Leafs will conclude their regular season...
February 18, 2016
Goshen dominates Bethel in weekend basketball doubleheader
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...
February 11, 2016
Maple Leaf victory against Foresters extends home season
The Maple Leafs will host a postseason contest for the first time since 2004. The women’s basketball team took down Huntington University on Saturday afternoon, narrowly defeating the Foresters 75-72 in women’s basketball action from Gunden Gymnasium. This victory, coupled with a Bethel loss, guarantees a top-four finish in the league and subsequent home contest come tournament time. With the victory Goshen improves to 19-7 on the season and 11-3 in the Crossroads League, holding second place with a two-game cushion back to third and only four games remaining. Huntington falls to 15-11, 5-9 in league play and in eighth...
February 11, 2016
Quiet as a mouse, but with a game that speaks volumes
Sophia Sears, or as most people know her, Sophie, is a junior point guard for the Goshen College women’s basketball team. Throughout her career she has proven to be just what the Maple Leafs are looking for to run the show. Despite her quiet persona, Sears has found a way to lead the team through unselfish play and consistently. “The girl is quiet as a mouse, but her game speaks volumes,” said Liz Tecca, a senior teammate. This calm and collected attitude plays a huge role in Sears’ success. Most coaches would agree that they want a point guard that...
February 4, 2016
Team effort pushes Leafs past Mt. Vernon
Goshen women’s basketball team proved to be too much for Mount Vernon Nazarene on Saturday afternoon, handily defeating the Cougars 88-53 at Gunden Gymnasium. The win earned Goshen a season sweep against their third conference opponent. With the victory, Goshen matches their season win total and improves past their conference record from last season, now 18-6 in the season and 10-2 in the Crossroads League, holding second place with a three-game cushion from third. Mount Vernon falls to 10-14, 4-8 in league play and in ninth place. Both teams started hot from the field, and just four minutes into the...
January 28, 2016
Goshen’s secret weapon: The Squad
Every great team has an arsenal of secret weapons. For the No. 20 ranked Goshen College women’s basketball team one such weapon comes in the form of a men’s practice squad. This practice squad consists of nine Goshen College men. The team includes Andrew Snyder, Jesse Loewen, Danny Lam, Ike Lehman, Dean Nafziger, Nate Nussbaum, Dan Smucker, Ethan Gingerich, and Caleb Beachy. Each of these guys has previous basketball experience, and some are even current athletes at GC. The first ever practice squad was created during the 2013-2014 season. Head women’s basketball coach Stephanie Miller put an advertisement in the...
January 21, 2016
Late charge leads Marian past Leafs
With first place in the Crossroads League on the line, Marian proved to be too much, handily defeating Goshen College 77-65 in women’s basketball action Saturday afternoon in Gunden Gymnasium. In a game with potential to go down to the wire, a fourth quarter frenzy helped the fourth-ranked bury the 21st-ranked Maple Leafs late. Marian’s fierce zone defense and transition attack caught Goshen off guard as the Knights jumped out to a quick 13-2 lead to start the contest. By slowing the pace and attacking the paint, the Leafs pieced together a run of their own, ending the quarter down...
January 21, 2016
One for the record books
Three seniors from the Goshen College women’s basketball team are members of the 1,000-point club. On top of that, five players on the roster are in prime position to leave their mark in the Goshen College history books. The Maple Leafs have claimed 17 spots in top 10 career statistical lists. Jo’Mani Thomas, a senior, leads the team with six appearances across the book. She is fourth in GC women’s basketball history for rebounds, with 716, sixth in free throw attempts at 303-of-404, and eighth in field goal attempts and makes, going 435-of-1042. She also has 1192 career points. Liz...
January 21, 2016
Coach Miller leads turnaround for women’s basketball
When Stephanie Miller was offered the head coaching position of GC’s women’s basketball program, she was told up front that the situation was messy. She took the job anyway. In the season before Miller took over, the program finished with a record of 6-24, according to the GC Fact Book. The situation was dismal, and Miller described the program as depleted. Players simply didn’t trust one another or the system. “I inherited some really good people; smart students,” said Miller. “But as far as their understanding of the collegiate basketball system, there was a lack of dedication. They didn’t trust...
January 14, 2016
Goshen basketball dominates Bethel
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...
December 3, 2015
Basketball doubles up Mt. Vernon
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...
November 19, 2015
Student spotlight: Liz Tecca
Liz Tecca is senior on the Goshen women’s basketball team from Kalamazoo, Michigan. On November 3rd, Tecca became the 13th women’s basketball player to score 1000 career points in a victory over Aquinas College. How does it feel to hit 1000 points and be a member of that select group? It feels pretty good. It feels good to know that years of hard work is paying off and kind of just a milestone to check off the list. It’s been good! You started the game against Aquinas at just six points shy, so were you mentally checking off how many...