MEN’S BASKETBALL

While it wasn’t the outcome the HU men’s basketball team had hoped for, no one in Platt Arena would fault their effort Tuesday night in a 75-72 battle that favored Taylor University (16-13, 8-9).

Down 72-60 with five minutes remaining, the Foresters reeled off ten straight points to creep within two with :42 seconds remaining when Konner Platt buried a pair of freebies. Huntington’s run was fueled at the charity stripe. Including Platt’s two free tosses, four different Foresters combined to go 8-for-10 from the line.

Unfortunately, HU’s impressive comeback was thwarted when Mason Degenkolb drained a three from the top of the key on the ensuing possession to up TU’s lead to five with 11 ticks remaining. While Hank Pulver was quick to score, the Foresters had several fouls to give and time proved the foe as Taylor was able to ride out the clock for the win.

With one regular season game remaining, the win solidified a spot for Taylor in the Crossroads League tournament. It was a critical game for both squads as HU entered the evening in ninth place, one game out of a three-way tie for sixth. Taylor was part of the three-way log jam, so tonight’s W punched their ticket to the tourney. For the Foresters to earn a spot in postseason play, they will need to beat Marian on Saturday and Goshen would have to snag a win over Bethel.

The Trojans had the hot hand in the first 20 minutes to shoot their way in front 43-32 by intermission. The visitors connected on over 53 percent of their attempts from the field which included knocking down six long balls and committed just three miscues to enjoy a double-digit advantage starting at the 7:40 mark of the first half.

While the Foresters would trim it to single digits on several occasions, Taylor’s lead was at least 10+ points more often than not until HU’s run at the end.

Despite the frustrating ending, the evening saw Middlesworth make program history by becoming the latest member of HU’s 1,000-point club six minutes into the second half when he scored in transition. The 6-8 sophomore was fouled in the process and sank the free toss to complete the three-point play for his 1,001st career point. He needed just 12 points coming into the contest and finished with a game-tying 20 points. He also posted four assists and career-best five steals.

Platt poured in 15 points. Pulver added 14 points while Peyton West tossed in 13 points and snagged a team-high nine rebounds.

Degenkolb finished with 20 points to lead Taylor. Other double-digit scorers for TU included CJ Penha (17), Jason Hubbard (14) and Ryan Robinson (11).

The Foresters (14-15, 6-11) wrap up the regular season at Marian on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 p.m.