WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The HU women’s basketball team came up short, 61-50, Wednesday night against #14 Indiana Tech (1-0). The neighborly clash was the season opener for both teams.

First game jitters got the best of the hosts in the first half as evidenced by Culler’s crew coughing up the ball 11 times to put a damper on any sort of offensive continuity. It made for several 15-point deficits in the second quarter but as Forester fans have come to appreciate over the years, Culler’s crew continued to battle. By intermission, HU had trimmed the lead to ten at 30-20.

With the opening 20 minutes behind them, the Foresters settled down to play within a point of Tech in the second frame to keep within striking distance of their guests the rest of the night. Huntington erased the lead to seven in the third quarter before shrinking it to two possessions several times in the final stanza.

Maddy Robrock scored on three consecutive possessions midway through the fourth to pull her team within six at 49-43 with five minutes remaining. Just five points separated the two squads 90 seconds later, compliments of a Logan Rowles’ and-one, to keep things interesting.

Unfortunately, the Warriors scored the next time down the floor to buffer their advantage to which HU didn’t have an answer. Free throws down the stretch then created more separation between the two teams to make for the 11-point difference by the final buzzer.

Rowles led the Foresters in scoring and rebounding with 13 points and eight boards. She also dished out three assists. Konnor Gambrell sparked HU off the bench with nine points.

For Tech, Emma Tuominen topped all scorers with 16 points in addition to corralling 11 rebounds for the double double. Kyra Whitaker added 12 points for the guests as the game’s only other double-digit scorer.

Huntington (0-1) returns to Platt Arena on Saturday to host Cornerstone at 7:00 p.m.