MEN’S BASKETBALL

The (RV) HU men’s basketball team delivered its biggest win of the season Saturday afternoon inside Platt Arena, knocking off #6 Indiana Wesleyan 66–63 in a thriller that came down to the final seconds. With the upset, HU improves to 8-3 overall and joins IWU (8-2) and Marian at 2-2 in Crossroads League play, creating a three-way tie for fifth in the standings.

Huntington’s calling card was its defense. The Foresters held IWU, who entered averaging 88.3 PPG, to just 63 points, a season-low for IWU. The Foresters limited the Wildcats to 42.4% shooting, only 6-for-21 from three (28.6%), and forced 14 turnovers while winning the rebounding battle 37–33.

While the entire afternoon had the Platt Arena crowd on edge, the final 90 seconds alone were worth the price of admission. After leading for the majority of the contest, HU suddenly found itself trailing when Caedmon Bontrager knocked down two free throws to put IWU up 63–61 with 1:30 remaining. It was the guests’ first lead since the 13:10 mark of the first half.

HU answered immediately. Following a scramble in the halfcourt, Jackson Paul sliced through the lane for the game-tying layup with just over a minute left. HU then delivered a defensive stand, forcing an IWU airball to reclaim possession. Out of a timeout, Huntington executed perfectly by finding Landon Biegel who drilled a deep triple from well beyond the arc with 22 seconds left, giving HU a 66–63 lead.

The ending only got wilder. With seven seconds remaining, HU got a stop, but a controversial travel call on Kaden Johnson gave IWU one final opportunity. The 6-10 center redeemed himself instantly, deflecting the Wildcats’ inbound pass and securing the steal to seal the upset.

Beyond the dramatic ending, the game featured five ties and two lead changes, although HU led for most of the afternoon. The Foresters held the league’s third-leading scorer, Bontrager, to just two points in the first half and carried a 26–24 lead into the break.

Offensively, HU was balanced and clutch when it mattered. Biegel was sensational, coming off the bench to score a game-high 17 points on 6-for-9 shooting, including 5-for-7 from three. Keylane Lasisi added 15 points and five boards, while Paul finished with 12 points and four rebounds. Johnson anchored the interior with 10 rebounds, five assists, six points and two steals, and Jaxson Jones added a spark with seven points off the bench.

The Foresters shot 45.5% from the field, 34.8% from deep, and dominated the glass by pulling down 14 offensive rebounds that they cashed in for 19 points.

In addition to Bontrager’s 15 points, IWU received nine from Millen McCartney, eight from DJ Moore, and seven each from Isaac Andrews and Kevin Sacas.

The win marks the third Top-20 victory already for first-year head coach Jared Jauch, who now owns wins over #19 Morningside, #12 Pikeville and #6 Indiana Wesleyan.

HU is now off until December 18, when they head west to face #2 Arizona Christian in the Cactus Classic.