Huntington keeps it close with No. 5 Providence
West Palm Beach, Fla. – The HU women's basketball team kept pace with #5 Providence before eventually conceding a 73-63 loss Wednesday afternoon at the West Palm Beach Classic on the campus of Keiser University.
While Huntington's offense was spotty at times, they still found a way to stay within striking distance of one of the nation's best.
The Foresters spotted Providence a ten-point lead to start the game before Liv Raby's putback three minutes in finally got things rolling for her team. It was the start of a 13-2 run that saw Gabi Melby and Annaka Nelson take turns scoring to account for HU's next 11 points for their first lead of the day at 13-12.
After trading the lead back and forth, Argos had the final say in the quarter for a 21-19 advantage at the first break. Within the opening 45 seconds of the second quarter, Huntington had forced the game's fifth and final tie at 23-23. Unfortunately, HU's offense dried up over the next five minutes to which Providence took full advantage to build a 14-point cushion of 37-23 with less than four minutes left in the half.
Maggard's crew, known for letting it fly from downtown, tapped into their bread and butter by knocking down a trio of threes within a two-minute span to eventually head into the locker room back within three at 39-36. Unfortunately, another offensive lull to start the third quarter made for a deficit the Foresters weren't able to recover from.
Raby again broke the scoring drought with her second putback of the day but this time six-and-a-half minutes had ticked off the clock. Providence's lead was 12 at that point. They stretched it to as many as 15 but there is no quit in Maggard's squad as they continued to battle, closing to within nine on several occasions before settling for the ten-point loss.
Kelham collected 15 points on the afternoon, all from deep where she went 5-for-8. Raby also posted 15 points to go along with 13 rebounds for a double double. Melby tossed in 14 in addition to dishing out a game-best eight assists and corralling four rebounds.
Argos was paced by Ashlee Maldanado's 19 points. She also pulled down nine rebounds and handed out four dimes. Keanna Salave'a was a force down low where she dropped in 18 points and snagged 15 boards.
Huntington (6-6) wraps up their time in Florida on Saturday when they play Ave Maria at noon.
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.