WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

The Comeback Kid’s got nothing on the Huntington women’s basketball team – especially after Tuesday night’s 67-62 win over No. 10 Saint Francis (23-7) in the quarterfinals of the Crossroads League tournament.

It sounds like a broken record at this point, but this Forester squad does not give up. Never was that more apparent than tonight at the Hutzell Center when HU outscored 3rd-seeded USF 21-3 in the fourth quarter. Facing a 59-46 deficit heading into the final stanza, things didn’t look too promising for Culler and crew.

But Sarah Fryman wasn’t ready for her storybook senior season to end just yet. The 5-9 forward teamed up with Sam Hammel to mount one of the program’s most prolific come-from-behind wins. The pair accounted for all 21 of their team’s fourth quarter points. The Cougars had no answer for Fryman or Hammel who poured in 13 and eight points respectively in the final ten minutes.

Fryman’s three-point play with 2:38 remaining not only capped off a 15-0 run, but gave HU a 61-59 lead. It was their first advantage since the opening possession of the game. Lauren McBryar countered with a three, her only points of the night, on the next possession but Fryman wasn’t having it. She fired right back by scoring in transition but it was her next bucket with :11 ticks remaining that sent HU fans into a frenzy.

After the ball was batted around, Fryman somehow not only came up with the loose ball as the shot clock was winding down but threw up a desperation shot that rattled in as she took a hard spill. It gave the Foresters a 65-62 lead. Everything fell into place after that as they held the Cougars scoreless on the next possession and then Hammel calmly swished a pair of freebies with seven seconds remaining to seal the win.

While the twosome handled the offensive load for their team in that last quarter, defense was by committee for Huntington as they went into lockdown mode. Dazia Drake had three steals in the final ten minutes and while it doesn’t show up anywhere in the final stats for Maddy Robrock, her defensive effort down low was key to Huntington’s fourth quarter success.

The 6-0 rookie proved the protector of the paint. Through the first three quarters, USF pounded the ball inside for 34 points but not on Robrock’s watch as she denied the Cougars any points in the paint in the final ten minutes.

When all the dust had settled, the Foresters controlled the glass 41-25 which included gobbling up 22 offensive rebounds to the tune of 20 points. HU also forced 21 turnovers, 13 of which were steals, while coughing up the ball just ten times at the other end of the floor. Culler’s crew also outscored their hosts 16-0 at the line.

Despite scoring just four points in the first half, Fryman finished with a game-best 29 points to go along with eight rebounds and four steals. Hammel poured in 19 points. She also pulled down ten boards for her seventh double double of the year and posted four assists and four steals.

Sidney Crowe tallied 13 points to lead Saint Francis. Kara Gerka added 11 points while Cassidy Crawford tossed in ten.

The win sends the 6th-seeded Foresters (21-10) to the semis of the tourney to face 2nd-seeded Taylor on Friday at 7:00 p.m.