MEN’S BASKETBALL

The Huntington men’s basketball team picked off #11 Bethel University Wednesday evening, 110-98, at Platt Arena. With this win, the Foresters (13-6) move into fourth place in the league standings with a CL record of 6-5.

With this loss, the Pilots, who entered the night having won their last five contests, drop to 18-4 overall which includes an 8-2 Crossroads League record.

Home turf has been advantageous for Coach Alford and crew this season with tonight proving no different. Ten of HU’s 13 wins have taken place in Platt Arena.

The Foresters used a balanced attack to hand BU their largest margin of defeat of the year. Caleb Middlesworth erupted for a season-best 32 points to go along with pulling down nine boards, four of which were of the offensive variety.

Zach Goodline posted a double double of 21 points and a career-best ten assists. Mitchell Wilson came off the bench to pour in 19 points by going 6-for-7 from the field and from the free throw line. The freshman guard has scored in double figures the last five games.

Peyton West went off for 14 points, nine assists, nine rebounds and five steals for the most productive game of his career. Ben Humrichous rounded out HU’s double-digit scoring with 11 points. He also swatted four shots and handed out three dimes.

After Middlesworth and Goodline assumed responsibility for the lion’s share of Huntington’s offense through the first 20 minutes, Alford got plenty of production from the rest of his team in the second half. HU sizzled the nets to the tune of 65.7 percent from the floor (23-for-35) after intermission to post 64 points to turn a closely-contested battle into a one-sided affair.

The first period featured six ties and three lead changes while the final 20 minutes belonged to Huntington minus a ten-second spurt early in the half when Bethel led for a possession. Huntington’s first double-digit lead came at the 12:30 mark when Humrichous drained his second triple of the evening for a 66-54 advantage. The Foresters stubbornly held onto their 10+ point advantage for nearly four minutes.

But it was only a matter of time before the Pilots, who boast one of the most dangerous offenses in the NAIA, responded. Behind TreVion Crews’ three long balls, the guests rattled off 11 straight points over a two-minute spurt to erase their largest deficit of the night at 84-67 down to two possessions at 84-78 with 6:12 to go.

Huntington’s counterattack came by way of five different Foresters scoring over the next two minutes to up their lead to nine at 92-83. It was all the confirmation Alford and crew needed to ride out the win as Bethel would get no closer than seven the rest of the way. Freebies in the final minute allowed the Foresters to extend the game to double-digits by the final horn.

HU had five different players score at least eight points in the second period.

Crews, the nation’s fourth leading scorer, put up 41 points for Bethel which included 21 points from downtown. It’s the second time this season he’s scored over 40 points. The 6-0 senior guard also posted eight rebounds and seven assists. Nathan Aerts chipped in 28 points while Jared DeHart and Garrett Suedekum tossed in 11 and ten points respectively.

The Foresters travel to Mount Vernon on Saturday where they will look to avenge a 71-70 loss to the Cougars back on December 5.