WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

A historic shooting performance lit up Platt Arena Saturday afternoon as the (RV) HU women’s basketball team tied a single-game program record with 20 three-pointers in a resounding 106–49 victory over Madonna in their 2026–27 home opener.

An extraordinary 10 different Foresters connected from beyond the arc as Huntington scored 72 points off the bench and led by as many as 57. The afternoon also featured the long-awaited return of senior guard Bailey Kelham, who missed the entire 2025–26 season due to injury.

Entering off the bench, Kelham made an immediate impact, pouring in 14 points (4-7 FG, 3-6 3PT, 3-3 FT) in just 12 minutes of action. The victory gives HU a 2–0 start to the campaign while dropping Madonna to 0–1 in its season opener.

Madonna scored the opening basket, but Huntington quickly seized complete control with a 23–0 blitz over the final eight minutes of the first quarter. Senior guard Peyton Hartsough tied the game with a triple, triggering a perimeter clinic. Kelham checked in at the seven-minute mark and scored five quick points, including a converted three-point play, before Hartsough, Kelham, and freshman guard Hannah Higgs each buried shots from deep. The Foresters limited the Crusaders to 1-of-15 shooting (6.7%) in the opening period to build a commanding 23–3 cushion.

Huntington’s perimeter momentum carried seamlessly into the second quarter. Freshmen Eva Herbert and Alexis Neely sparked an 11–4 run with consecutive three-pointers, and Herbert added another long-range strike to expand the margin past 20. Freshman Esther Moore beat the second-quarter buzzer with a three-pointer of her own, capping a 26-point period that sent the Foresters into the locker room up 49–19. HU connected on 6-of-12 three-point attempts in the quarter.

The Foresters produced their most explosive offensive frame in the third quarter, putting up 34 points on 64.7 percent shooting (11-of-17 FG). Senior center Liv Raby dominated the interior with 11 points in the period while Hartsough, Teegan Acres, and Kelham added three-pointers. Raby completed a double-double on the afternoon with 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds (five offensive). Huntington carried an 83–38 advantage into the final period before its second unit put the exclamation point on the record-tying afternoon. Moore, Lillian George, Higgs, Jillian Salts, and Neely all sank three-pointers in the fourth quarter, with Neely’s final triple with 17 seconds left bringing the game total to 20 three-pointers -matching the school record set on November 8, 2025.

Neely led all Huntington scorers with a career-high 15 points on 6-of-7 shooting (3-4 3PT) off the bench alongside five rebounds and three assists. Kelham tallied 14 points, while Raby added 13. Higgs rounded out HU’s double-figure scorers with 12 points, four rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Hartsough and Herbert each chipped in nine points and combined for seven assists. Huntington’s bench outscored Madonna’s entire roster 72–49, while HU finished 36-of-73 from the floor (49.3%), 20-of-45 from long range (44.4%), and pulled down 53 rebounds.

Madonna was led by Leilah Howard’s 13 points (5-8 FG, 3-5 3PT) off the bench and 11 points from Lizzy Liedel. Ashley Zawisza hauled in a team-high seven rebounds for the Crusaders.

UP NEXT
The #RV Foresters remain at Platt Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 4, hosting #25 Indiana University South Bend at 7:00 p.m.