2-2-2019***
Huntington University***
Huntington In***
Hat Tip Huntington University Website
HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The #RV HU women's basketball team hosted its 11th annual pink out Saturday afternoon and picked up its 11th straight pink out win by slipping past Mount Vernon Nazarene University 68-66.
While the Foresters take no win for granted, especially in the Crossroads League, the real celebration came at halftime when 16 breast cancer survivors were honored.
In front of a sea of pink, Culler's crew had their hands full with a scrappy Cougar crew. The first quarter alone had five ties and three lead changes with the visitors out in front 18-15 after the first ten minutes of action. MVNU upped their advantage to five twice in the second quarter with the last, a 31-26 difference, coming with four minutes left in the half before HU pieced together an 11-2 run to take a 37-33 lead into intermission.
The run saw four different Foresters put points on the board capped off with Sarah Fryman knocking down her second triple of the frame in the final seconds to send HU into the locker room with the momentum. Unfortunately, the momentum was fleeting as HU managed just one point through the first five minutes of the second half. As it turned out, the Cougars didn't get off to a great start either but were able to slip in front 40-38 by the midway point of the third.
It was Fryman to the rescue. The 5-9 junior scored on Huntington's next three possessions and then hit two freebies after back-to-back buckets by Brooke Saylor to will her team back on top 51-46 with 1:33 left in the quarter. HU ended up taking a one-point advantage into the final stanza but it was short-lived. The persistent Cougars (12-14, 5-9) drilled a pair of long balls in the first two minutes of fourth to claim a lead they would hold onto for the next seven and a half minutes.
Down by two, 66-64, the Foresters called a timeout with :36 ticks to go. On a well-executed drawn up play, HU got the ball into the hands of Maddie Richer who didn't disappoint. The 5-5 senior, who had already nailed three treys on the afternoon, let one fly from the left wing that rattled home to put her team on top with, 67-66, with :27 seconds to go.
It proved the game-winner as Fryman came up with a critical defensive stop at the other end and then Sam Hammel extended the lead to two by going 1-for-2 from the line. By this time there were only two seconds remaining and the Cougars' desperation shot was well off the mark to wrap up the regular season sweep as HU enjoyed a 62-55 win over MVNU earlier this season.
Fryman posted 21 points, her eighth 20+ point game of the year, to go along with four
rebounds, three steals and two assists. Saylor was huge for the Foresters by logging 17 points and ripping down 12 boards, seven of which were offensive, for her fourth straight double double. She also handed out five dimes and swiped three steals.
Richer finished with 16 points while Hammel collected eight points and took game-high honors in assists with six and steals with four.
Taylor Gregory posted big numbers for the Cougars with 21 points, 18 rebounds and four blocks. Other double-digit scorers for MVNU included Dani Ellerbrock (14), Maggie Coblentz (13) and Rachel Perry (11).
The afternoon wrapped up with the Foresters presenting a check to the Vera Bradley Foundation for Breast Cancer for over $2,000.
Huntington currently holds an overall record of 15-10 which includes an 8-6 record in league play. HU remains in the friendly confines of Platt Arena on Wednesday to host Goshen at 7:00 p.m.
The Huntington University Foresters compete in 17 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 38 NAIA All-America honors and 296 All-America Scholar Athlete honors. Huntington University is a comprehensive Christian college of the liberal arts offering graduate and undergraduate programs in more than 70 academic concentrations. U.S. News & World Report ranks Huntington among the best colleges in the Midwest.
The full album will be posted 2-5-2019 on the Greenbear Photography facebook page courtesy of Heritage Pointe Communities, Warren, Huntington, Ft Wayne.