Kelham paces HU to 70-61 win over Cumberland

Huntington, Ind. – The HU women's basketball team made it three straight wins with a 70-61 decision over Cumberland University (Tenn.) Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Forester Classic. It was Bailey Kelham's barrage of threes in the third that finally gave the hosts some breathing room against a scrappy Phoenix  club that just wouldn't go away.

After Liv Raby's bucket in the paint on a dump down by Gabi Melby, Kelham went off for four consecutive triples within a 90-second span to turn a four-point difference into a double-digit spread of 48-36 with six minutes left in the quarter. Kyndell Jochim continued the shooting clinic by dropping in two more long balls  to send HU into the fourth up 56-44.

Huntington held off their guests in the final ten minutes to keep at least a ten-point cushion until Faith Colston threw in a buzzer-beater to trim the difference to nine at the final horn.

The first half felt very different than the second as both squads jockeyed for any sort of advantage. It was a two-possession game for all but a brief stint when Raby hit a three to beat the shot clock and put her team up by seven near the end of the second quarter. The first frame featured seven ties and nine lead changes to make for a 34-32 HU advantage heading into the break.

Huntington picked apart the Phoenix zone to finish with a programing-tying 16 three-pointers while limiting CU to five triples, all in the first half.
  
Despite being saddled with fouls most of the afternoon, Kelham finished with 24 points in 25 minutes of play. The 5-8 sophomore never strayed from downtown where she went 8-for-12. Melby, also in foul trouble most of the contest, added 13 points as HU's only other double-digit scorer. Raby filled the stat sheet with eight points, 13 rebounds, six assists and two blocks.

Teegan Acres was a difference maker for the Foresters, tracking down five offensive boards on the way to collecting a career-best 12 rebounds.

Ever Walker and Emaleigh Tarpley tossed in 16 and ten points respectively to pace Cumberland.

The Foresters (3-1) return to Platt Arena on Wednesday to host IU Northwest at 6:00 p.m.

The Huntington University Foresters compete in 18 intercollegiate sports for men and women. In the past decade, Huntington has produced 160 NAIA All-America honors and 567 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.