SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Freshman Rachel Nelson recorded a season-high 26 points off the bench but it would not be enough as the Spring Arbor University women's basketball team fell to Goshen College 81-75 in its Crossroads League opener on Tuesday night.
The loss dropped the Cougars to 5-3 on the season while the Maple Leafs won their fourth straight to improve to 8-1 overall.
Goshen took advantage of a slow start by SAU and jumped out to a quick 8-2 lead. But, Nelson entered the game and provided an immediate spark hitting a pair of three-pointers to help fuel a 12-3 run and give the Cougars a 14-11 advantage with 3:20 remaining in the first quarter. From there, the two teams would go back and forth, trading the lead four different times before halftime.
With 1:51 remaining in the second quarter, the score was tied 36-36, but the Cougars would commit a pair of costly turnovers allowing the visitors to end the period on a 7-0 run and take a 43-36 lead into the intermission.
Goshen maintained its lead throughout the third quarter, and ballooned the margin to 14, 71-57, with 6:55 to play in the fourth. Spring Arbor continued to fight and claw its way back though. Trailing 75-66, Nelson scored eight straight points for the Cougars to help trim the deficit to three, 77-74, at the 1:01 mark. However, the Maple Leafs would sink four straight free throws down the stretch to hand the Cougars their first conference loss of the season.
Goshen ended the contest shooting 47 percent from the floor (33-for-71), and went a perfect 9-for-9 from the charity stripe, while Spring Arbor shot 40 percent (26-for-65). The Maple Leafs also out-rebounded the Cougars 45-31, including grabbing 20 offensive boards which helped the Leafs net 46 points in the paint.
Nelson finished the night 9-for-13 from the field, including hitting 5-of-8 shots from behind the arc. Junior Kylie Townsley and freshman Alex Forster also scored in double figures with 10 points apiece. Senior Jessica Mabry registered seven points and a game-high six assists while junior Rachel Driesenga had seven points and 12 boards.
Spring Arbor will begin a three game road trip beginning with a stop at No. 5 Indiana Wesleyan University (8-2, 0-1 CL) on Tuesday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.
Women's Basketball Contact: Chris Bauman | 517-750-6504 | christopher.bauman@arbor.edu
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