WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The HU women’s basketball team is off to a great start in 2019 having handed the Maple Leafs of Goshen College a 66-57 loss Wednesday night at Gunden Gymnasium to improve to 2-0 on the new year. The W is HU’s third straight over GC. The last ten meetings between these two squads have favored Culler’s crew 7-3.

Playing at Goshen is never an easy task and tonight was no different. While Maddie Richer’s three just three minutes into the contest gave her team a lasting lead, the Maple Leafs never let HU stray too far from sight as the difference stayed within single digits most of the night.

Richer’s trey was the first of ten long balls for the Foresters who ended up shooting better from downtown than inside the arc. They canned 50.0 percent of their triples (10-for-20) while shooting 40.4 percent overall (23-for-57).

Eighteen of Huntington’s 33 first half points came from deep with Sarah Fryman and Casey Morton each knocking down a pair. As it turned out, they along with Brooke Saylor carried the offensive load in the opening 20 minutes. Fryman finished with 12 points in the frame, Saylor added nine and Morton dropped in six as the trio secured their team a 33-27 halftime lead.

Sam Hammel scored the first two points of the second half to grow HU’s lead to eight but the pesky hosts weren’t about to go away. They scored five unanswered points to narrow the gap to three. Erin Mohr countered with a nifty move down low but the Maple Leafs made good on their next possession too for another three-point difference of 37-34.

HU didn’t buckle thanks to a big three by Richer. This time Goshen didn’t have an answer as the visitors spent the next four minutes building a ten-point cushion of 47-37 with two minutes left in the quarter. It was just the second double digit lead of the evening.

Culler’s crew took that ten-point spread into the fourth where Fryman took over. The 5-9 forward missed her first shot of the quarter but was perfect after that to score 13 of her team’s final 17 points to secure the win.

She went 4-for-4 from the line in the final minute of play but it was her three-pointer with 1:14 to go that proved more critical as it upped her team’s lead from six to nine and served as the final dagger.

Richer also had a huge three in the fourth to give her team a little wiggle room. Goshen came knocking midway through the quarter to climb to within five at 52-47. Fryman scored on a give-and-go from Saylor but it was Richer’s trifecta on the next possession that reminded the Maple Leafs you can never leave the sharp shooter alone in the corner. It was the beginning of the end for GC.

Fryman finished with a career-best 30 points to go along with five rebounds and three assists.

Saylor also posted big numbers. In addition to her double double of 12 points and 15 boards, she also handed out a team-leading four dimes and blocked two shots. Even more impressive was how she battled down low defensively despite being significantly outsized. Neither of Goshen’s post players scored more than six points.

Richer finished with nine points and three assists. Hammel chipped in seven points and snagged a game-high four steals.

Graysen Cockerham led Goshen with 18 points while Alyson Prigge collected 12.

Tonight’s win catapults Huntington (11-7, 4-3) into a three-way tie for fourth in the league standings while Goshen (7-12, 0-7) remains winless in conference.

HU comes back home on Saturday for a big matchup with #16 Indiana Wesleyan. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.