WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

In a conference clash with #10 Taylor University Wednesday night at Platt Arena, the #24 HU women’s basketball team came up short 68-59 to suffer its third league loss of the season as they move to 8-4 overall, 1-3 in CL action.

A six-minute scoring drought to start the second half spelled disaster for Huntington. After playing even with TU (10-4, 2-2) through the opening twenty minutes, the Foresters were on the wrong end of a 16-0 run to turn a 37-37 deadlock at halftime into a 53-37 deficit by the 3:51 mark of the third quarter.

The Trojans would extend that lead to 17 by the quarter’s end, 59-42, and while it’s never in Culler’s crew to throw in the towel, the gap proved too large to overcome as the hosts pulled within seven late in the game but would get no closer. The seven-point spread came with four minutes to go after HU buried four long balls and a pair of freebies for a 14-4 run to make for a 63-56 difference.

With momentum clearly in their favor, the Foresters forced three straight turnovers over the next two minutes but the pendulum quickly swung back in Taylor’s favor as HU came up empty on the scoreboard each time. The league’s leading scorer Kendall Bradbury then stepped up to do what she does best by scoring down low and then canning a three to cushion her team’s lead back to double digits with just over a minute remaining to put the game out of reach.

The Foresters finished with 11 triples behind Maddie Richer’s four. Casey Morton came off the bench to drain three from downtown while Sarah Fryman and Sam Hammel tossed in two apiece. Together the foursome combined to go 11-for-18 from long range.

The Trojans lived up to their scouting report by dropping in 12 three-pointers. They entered the night ranked 2nd in NAIA Division II in total three-point field goals (137) which averages out to 10.5 per night, the 5th best amongst their NAIA peers. They capitalized on 48.0 percent of their shots beyond the arc, nearly 15 percent better than their season average.

Hammel topped all scorers with 18 points to go along with eight rebounds, six of which were on the offensive glass. Richer finished with 14 points, a game-best three steals and two assists. Fryman and Morton finished with 13 and 11 points respectively.

The Trojans were led by twins Abby and Becca Buchs who each tossed in 17 points and pulled down five boards apiece. Bradbury collected 14 points, a game-best 11 rebounds and three assists. Merideth Deckard sparked the visitors in the first half by scoring all 11 of her points before intermission.

The Foresters will look to get back on track on Saturday when they host Grace at 1:00 p.m.