WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The (RV) HU women’s basketball team delivered a historic performance Saturday afternoon at Platt Arena, rolling past Ohio Christian 118–62 to improve to 9-3 on the season, extend its win streak to five games and remain perfect at home at 7-0.

Huntington controlled the game from opening tip, with the only blemish on the scoreboard coming from a brief 4-4 tie early in the first quarter. Ohio Christian hung within striking distance for much of the opening frame until Izzy Shepherd sparked a late surge, coming up with back-to-back steals that led to two fast-break layups for Annaka Nelson. The sequence pushed the Foresters into a double-digit lead and sent HU into the first break up 24-14.

From there, the floodgates opened. Huntington stretched the margin to 20 midway through the second quarter and carried a commanding 54-27 advantage into halftime. Nelson, Allison Price and Addie Shank set the tone early, combining for 41 points in the opening half before Shepherd and Lauryn Merritt took over after intermission.

Shepherd was electric in the second half, pouring in 22 of her career- and game-high 25 points after the break. The freshman guard knocked down three triples and was relentless on the defensive end, recording a staggering nine steals that repeatedly turned into easy buckets for the Foresters. Shepherd also dished out four assists, while narrowly missing a double-double in points and steals.

Merritt enjoyed a banner afternoon as well, posting her first double-double of the season with a career-high 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting and a game-best 11 rebounds. All but two of her points came in the second half as Huntington continued to separate themselves from their guests.

Nelson and Price each finished with 20 points, with Price stuffing the stat sheet by adding four rebounds, five assists and five steals while shooting an efficient 9-for-11 from the floor. Shank chipped in 16 points and nine rebounds, while Teegan Acres provided a spark off the bench, hitting consecutive threes in the second quarter and finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The afternoon marked the first time Maggard’s squad eclipsed the century mark this season, with every Forester who saw action scoring at least five points. Liv Raby pushed Huntington past 100 with a putback at the 6:04 mark of the fourth quarter, making it 101-54. The 118 points are the most scored by the program since December of 2014, when the Foresters poured in a school-record 124 points against Olivet Nazarene.

As a team, Huntington shot a season-high 59.5 percent from the field (47-for-79), converted 33 Ohio Christian turnovers into 39 points and dominated the paint by a 48-20 margin. The Foresters also handed out 24 assists and collected 20 steals in the wire-to-wire win.

Ohio Christian was led by Addison West, who scored a team-high 22 points on 9-for-20 shooting, including three triples. Jordyn Smoot added seven points and five rebounds, while JoLeigh Hamilton finished with six points and four boards. The Trailblazers shot 40.0 percent from the field but were unable to keep pace with Huntington’s depth and defensive pressure, falling to 1-10 on the season.

Huntington now heads west for a pair of nonconference matchups in Arizona, facing Arizona Christian on Wednesday before closing the trip against Embry-Riddle on Friday.