Foresters cruise to fourth straight win with 89-21 decision over Grace Christian

HUNTINGTON, Ind. – The Forester women's basketball team picked up their fourth win in a row, an 89-21 decision, Saturday afternoon against Grace Christian at Platt Arena.

As a program, it's the fewest points allowed since December of 2015 when HU beat up on Great Lakes Christian 113-12. Today's thrashing also saw, for the second straight contest, all 11 Foresters who saw action get into the scoring column.

Ruby Bolon and Bailey Kelham shared game-high scoring honors with 17 points each. For Bolon, it was new career-high and she did so having gone 8-for-10 from the floor. Makayla Clement tossed in 12 points while Peyton Hartsough added 11.

Seven of Hartsough's points came in the opening four minutes to get the Foresters off on the right foot. It was a 23-6 difference after the first quarter. By halftime, HU's lead ballooned to 43-11 and after three quarters the Foresters had extended their advantage to 52 points at 71-19. Arguably the most memorable thing about the game was the hosts hitting buzzer-beaters at the end of the first three stanzas.

Gabi Melby drained a three at the first quarter buzzer. Clement, on an assist from Melby, nailed another from the cheap seats right before halftime while Laura Valiente-Marin's buzzer-beating baseline jumper at the end of the third found nothing but the bottom of the net. Melby finished with a game-best six assists.

Annaka Nelson grabbed a game-leading six rebounds, four of which were of the offensive variety, in addition to nabbing three steals. Kyra Baker did a little bit of everything for her team by posting seven points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists.

The Tigers were paced by Jada Reese's 15 points and five rebounds.

For the first time this season, the Foresters finished with single-digit turnovers having committed just nine while forcing their guests into 29 blunders which they converted into 31 points. Huntington also collected a season-best 20 offensive boards to the tune of 19 putback points.

With this win, Maggard and crew move to 6-4 on the year which includes a 5-1 record when playing in the friendly confines of Platt Arena. Next up is another home contest against IU Kokomo on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 154 NAIA All-America honors and 501 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.