MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Forester men’s basketball team’s first three buckets Tuesday night against Taylor were from long range. It was a glimpse of what was to come as HU buried a season-best 18 threes on the way to a 94-82 win over the Trojans at Odle Arena.

The W is Huntington’s third straight over Taylor which includes an 89-83 decision back on December 4.

The Foresters scorched the nets from deep by connecting on 18 of their 31 attempts for 58.1 percent, a higher percentage than they shot from inside the arc where they went 11-for-21 (52.3 percent). It marks the 8th time this year HU has shot at least 50.0 percent from three-point land.

Zac Owens championed the cause with five triples on his way to pouring in a game-best 30 points. He also dished out a game-high six assists and swiped three steals. Konner Platt also had the hot hand from deep by canning four. He finished with 22 points.

Caleb Middlesworth netted 12 points, nine from downtown, in addition enjoying top rebounding honors with eight. Tyler Arens and Peyton West each dropped in 11 points.

For the Trojans, CJ Penha led the way with 19 points. Ryan Robinson collected 16 points. Other double digit scorers for TU included Miranda Vincent (15), Jason Hubbard (12), Evan Crowe (10) and Jake Heggeland (10).

Aside from the opening two minutes when the Trojans held two separate leads, the Foresters stayed in front of their hosts the whole evening. While Platt’s crew remained in control, it wasn’t until the final five minutes of the first frame that they built a comfortable cushion. Up 35-28 at the 5:34 mark, HU looked to Owens who scored seven of his team’s last 14 points of the half including a buzzer-beating three to take a 49-34 advantage into the locker room.

The Foresters held their hosts at bay through the first seven minutes of the second period until the Trojans caught fire from beyond the arc, draining four of their 13 threes over a three-minute stretch, to erase the lead to four points, 72-68, by the midway point.

It was a night for dueling threes as Huntington countered with four treys to build the lead back to double figures at 86-76 with just under three minutes remaining. The Trojans would trim it to seven but time was of the essence as they were forced to foul and HU made them pay by going 8-for-8 at the charity stripe in the final 90 seconds to secure the win. Platt’s crew, second in the nation in free throw shooting, finished the game 18-for-21 from the line for 85.7 percent.

The W is HU’s tenth double-digit win of the year as they move to 15-10 overall, 5-8 in CL action while the Trojans drop to 11-14 overall, 5-8 in league play.

Next up for Huntington is a rematch with #6 Mount Vernon at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday.