WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Execution down the stretch was flawless for the HU women’s basketball team in a 75-66 win over the Bethel Pilots Saturday afternoon at Gates Gymnasium.

Down 64-60 with just under three minutes remaining, it was Emily Seboe’s triple that ignited a Forester comeback. HU would go on to score on every possession after that to turn their four-point deficit into a nine-point win.

After Celeste Ryman dropped in another long ball the next trip down the court, Seboe sank a pair of freebies with 1:24 remaining to put her team on top for good at 68-66. Gabi Melby delivered the dagger by scoring the game’s next three points to cushion her team’s lead to five with :25 ticks remaining.

Ryman and Seboe put the finishing touches on the W by combining to go 4-for-4 at the line to wrap up what proved a game-ending 15-2 run.

As a team, the Foresters finished 17-for-21 at the line for 81.0 percent for a season-high number of made freebies and their second best free throw percentage of the season. The guests were also sensational from long range having knocked down a season-best 14 treys at a clip of 45.2 percent. It’s the fifth time this year Huntington has shot at least 40 percent from the cheap seats.

Leading up to the Huntington-dominant ending, the game featured ten ties and eight lead changes, but it didn’t particularly paint an accurate picture of how the game was trending. Leading up to Seboe’s free throws with less than 90 seconds to go that gave HU the nod, Maggard and crew had led for less than two minutes the entire contest.

It was a gritty win to say the least especially considering HU was also without two starters. Multiple Foresters stepped up with none more consistent than Alli Vaughn. The 5-10 sophomore poured in a career-best 23 points, which included draining five treys, and pulled down a career-tying nine boards to just miss out on a double double.

Melby, strapped with foul trouble in the first half, scored all 19 of her points in the second frame in addition to handing out five dimes. Seboe had an all-around solid day by posting 16 points, six rebounds, three assists, two steals and a block. Ryman added ten points to round out Huntington’s double-digit scoring.

Mariah Claywell paced Bethel with 22 points. Maiah Shelton tossed in 13 while Katie Kinker finished with ten.

The loss leaves the Pilots (4-12, 0-7) still looking for their first league win of the year while the Foresters improve to 7-10 overall which includes a 2-5 CL record. The rivalry between these two squads over the last decade heavily favors the Foresters who hold a 17-4 record over the Pilots since the 2012-13 season. HU hits the road again on Wednesday for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off with Spring Arbor.