HUNTINGTON, Ind. – From opening tip to final buzzer, the HU men’s basketball team never trailed Tuesday night in a 75-51 blowout over Goshen College (7-20, 1-14). The win is Huntington’s third straight over the Maple Leafs which includes a 93-75 W back on January 8.
Zac Owens got things started for the Foresters with a driving layup 50 seconds in but it was Caleb Middlesworth and Tyler Arens who carried the load through the first 20 minutes by pouring in 14 and ten points respectively. The half saw the hosts sizzle the nets at 51.7 percent while limiting GC to just 27.6 percent shooting.
The Maple Leafs, coming off a 66-65 upset over #1 Indiana Wesleyan over the weekend, managed just eight field goals in the first half while Platt’s crew nearly doubled that on the way to a 44-26 difference by intermission. Most impressive about the Foresters’ play in the first period was the way they shared the ball as 11 of their 15 field goals were assisted.
Goshen came out of the locker room a different team behind the play of Austin Branagan and Alhassan Barrie who combined to score 13 of their team’s first 16 points of the second frame. A stunned Forester squad, on the wrong end of a 16-4 run, watched their healthy advantage slip to just six, 48-42, by the 12:40 mark until Spencer Ballinger muscled his way down low to stop the bleeding.
The two squads played even over the next four minutes with eight points still separating them at the eight-minute mark. A ten-footer by Andrew Yoder got his team back on track and it was smooth sailing after that. The Foresters clamped down defensively to limit their visitors to just three points the rest of the way while scoring with ease to the tune of 19 points.
The separation ballooned to as many as 25 before HU settled for the 24-point victory. The Foresters have enjoyed wins of at least 20 points on five different occasions this season as the improve to 16-11 overall, 6-9 in league play.
Owens and Middlesworth each scored 18 points to pace Huntington. Owens also handed out a team-best four dimes while Middlesworth swatted a game-high and career-tying three shots. Arens added 15 points to go along with eight rebounds.
James Gardner played valuable minutes for Platt’s crew during which he collected eight boards to share game-high rebounding honors with Arens. He also sank all six of his freebies and finished with two steals and just as many assists. He was also one of the main defenders on the league’s second leading scorer and this week’s NAIA National Player of the Week, Demarkus Stuckey, who was limited to eight points. It’s just the third time this season Stuckey hasn’t reached double figures.
Barrie topped all scorers with 19 points. Branagan finished 14 as the only other Maple Leaf to reach double digits.
The Foresters are back in action on Saturday with a trip to #5 Indiana Wesleyan. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.