Down fourteen points just nine minutes into the game, things looked glum for the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team in their final game of the first MCC rotation against Goshen College last night. Persistence paid off for the Cougars however, as they clawed their way back into the game and squeezed out a crucial 81-80 win on Bockwitz Court.
Goshen came out blazing, opening the game with a 23-9 run over the first nine minutes of play. The Cougars were put on their heels by the Maple Leafs full court pressure and athleticism in the opening minutes of the contest. Showing their experience and poise, the hosts would not go away however, and compiled a 14-4 run over five minutes late in the half to shave the deficit to one point on a Richard Blair jumper with two and a half minutes remaining in the frame. Another jump shot by Blair and a pair of free throws from freshman Chris Bellamy helped the Cougars surge ahead and grab their first lead of the game at 43-42 just 14 seconds before intermission.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half with Goshen connecting at a 48% clip (15-31) and Spring Arbor rebounding to complete 16 of their 29 attempts (55%).
Standout guards DJ Baisden for Spring Arbor and Errick McCollum for Goshen went head to head in the first half, each scoring 13 points for their respective teams. Senior Rob Boss owned the glass in the first half, with a period high six rebounds for the Cougars.
The second half was a back and forth affair that saw four lead changes and six ties. The Cougars were in the driver's seat the majority of the time, and built a five point lead on two occasions in the half and led by six (80-74) with just 1:38 remaining in the game.
That's when things got really interesting.
Forced to foul, the Maple Leafs finally got their hands on junior Willie Pickvett with 39 seconds remaining. Pickvett was unable to convert on the front end of the one and one opportunity and after a defensive rebound, McCollum rushed up the floor and straight to the rack to trim the lead to four points (80-76). Goshen forced a five second violation on the ensuing inbounds play and Boss was whistled for a foul when the Maple Leafs put the ball in play. McCollum made good on a pair of free throws to narrow the gap to two (80-78).
It's not over yet.
Cougar fans were beside themselves when Goshen forced a turnover on a second straight inbounds pass and McCollum was once again Johnny on the Spot, scooping up the trash and hitting a close range bank shot to tie the game at 80 apiece.
Stunned, the home crowd watched as the Cougars finally got the ball in bounds with eight seconds left.
Seeming like he had enough, Baisden made his own rush up the floor and straight to the rim, forcing McCollum to foul him to prevent the sure layup with two ticks left on the clock. After a Goshen timeout, Baisden connected on the first free throw and then intentionally missed the second. Goshen, who had used their final timeout to try to ice Baisden before the first attempt, scurried frantically as the second shot caromed off the rim and by the time the Maple Leafs had collected the rebound time had expired, leaving SAU with a narrow one point victory.
"What a wild finish," commented SAU head coach Ryan Cottingham. "Our guys showed great resiliency to get back in this game, and then we nearly gave it away at the end. Goshen is a very athletic team, and this was a crucial win for us, keeping us right in the hunt for a top three spot in the conference. Every single game in the MCC is a war, and we will need to continue to get better if we want to finish near the top of the league and host a first round playoff game."
The Cougars sit in sole possession of fourth place after the win. At 5-3, Spring Arbor is one game back of both the University of St. Francis and Bethel College who are tie for second at 6-2. Indiana Wesleyan currently sits alone in first at 7-1 at the midway point of the conference season. Spring Arbor has a win over USF already, but lost to both Indiana Wesleyan and Bethel.
Spring Arbor will be back in action on Saturday when they welcome Marian College to campus for a 1:00 p.m. tip off.
