Foresters top Goshen to wrap up regular season with four-game win streak

GOSHEN, Ind. - Goshen entered Saturday's contest still on the prowl for their first win of the season and the Huntington men's basketball team made sure that didn't happen on their watch by handing their hosts an 81-73 loss in Gunden Gymnasium.

It was the last regular season game with Alford and crew improving to 20-8 on the year which includes a 13-5 conference record. The win is HU's fourth straight and wraps up the season sweep over the Maple Leafs with their first encounter last month a lopsided 100-64 decision.

The first seven minutes belonged to Goshen. They led more often than not but the wheels fell off for GC the rest of the half and spilled into the second period. That 14 minutes saw the Maple Leafs score just three points to completely change the complexion of the game. Huntington was able to turn their two-point deficit of 29-27 into a 51-32 advantage with just over 19 minutes to go.

The Foresters upped their lead to as many as 21 and held a double digit lead throughout the half minus two possessions which included the end of the game when the Maple Leafs (0-28, 0-18) nailed a three with 16 seconds to go to trim the difference to a game-ending eight points.

Zach Goodline did a little bit of everything to log a rare triple double of 13 points, 13 rebounds and ten assists. He also swiped three steals. The program's last triple double dates back to 2016 when Daniel Woll posted 25 points, 20 rebounds and ten assists.

Lane Sparks unleashed for a game-best 28 points in addition to grabbing six boards and rejecting two shots. It's the 17th time this season the 6-3 junior has scored 20+ points. Drew Goodline added ten points while Jackson Paul and Gage McGuire each chipped in eight.

Judah Simfukwe totaled 19 points to lead Goshen. Isaac Miller finished with 15 while Jared Bonds tallied a double double of ten points and ten boards.

Alford and crew will be the third seed in the CL tourney. First round action is slated for Wednesday with the Foresters hosting 6th-seeded Spring Arbor at 7:00 p.m.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 154 NAIA All-America honors and 501 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.