GOSHEN, Ind. – A late second half run proved to be enough to lift Goshen College to a 67-54 win over the Spring Arbor University men's basketball team inside Gunden Gymnasium on Saturday.
The loss marked the first time the Cougars were swept in the season series since the 2006-07 campaign.
Junior Greg Hamilton paced SAU with 18 points and a career-high five steals while sophomore Caleb Hogans followed with 13 points and five rebounds.
Hogans hit a three-pointer to tie the score 9-9 at the 15:00 mark, but Goshen would use an 8-0 run to re-take the lead and never look back.
A jumper from Hogans trimmed the deficit to six late in the opening stanza. However, the Maple Leafs would hold the Cougars without a field goal over the final 4:30 of the half, while outscoring them 9-1, to grab a 37-23 at the break.
In the second half, Spring Arbor got back-to-back buckets from freshman Zach Medendorp and senior Tyler Hughes before Hamilton capped the quick 7-0 spurt with a triple to get within seven, 37-30.
The Cougars continued their second half assault, and closed the gap to four, 41-37, midway through the period after senior Collin Hewitt connected from long range and Hamilton followed with a jumper.
With SAU still trailing by four at the 9:45 mark, Goshen (13-9, 6-4 Crossroads League) tallied five straight points to fuel a 13-4 run, and put the game out of reach.
Spring Arbor outshot the home team over the final 20 minutes, but it was not enough to overcome the slow start. The Cougars finished the afternoon shooting 38 percent (19-for-50) from the field while the Leafs hit 44 percent (23-for-52) of their attempts. Goshen also hauled in 38 rebounds compared to SAU's 27.
Hewitt contributed seven points and Hughes ripped down a team-best seven rebounds to go along with six points and three assists.
Up next, Spring Arbor (10-12, 1-9 Crossroads League) will return home to host Huntington University (13-9, 3-7 Crossroads League) on Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m.
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