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02.28.06
- A sellout crowd
was on hand to watch the third and final round between the two NAIA
heavyweights and they were not disappointed. It was the 2nd-ranked
Huntington University Foresters (28-5) that delivered the knockout
punch defeating the 8th-ranked Taylor University Trojans
(27-6) 68-44 to earn the Mid-Central Conference Tournament title and
the automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament in Branson, Missouri
next week.
Kyle Ganton drained a
three 12 seconds into the contest giving the Foresters a lead they
would never relinquish. Eric Ford scored on a driving layup to make
it 3-2, but an 11-2 HU run immediately pushed the Foresters’ advantage
to 14-4 six minutes into the game. The Trojans battled back to within
two on three occasions, but HU had an answer each time. With 4:29 to
go in the half, Taylor’s R.J. Beucler hit a jumper to again pull the
Trojans within two at 25-23, but the sharp-shooting Ganton came up big
for the Foresters, scoring seven of the Foresters’ final nine points
to help give HU a 34-25 lead at the break.
A Beucler trey to open the second stanza cut HU’s lead to six, but
after trading layups, the Foresters gradually pushed their lead back
to double digits. Two Ganton free throws at the 14:12 mark gave HU a
46-35 lead and then the Forester defense took over. HU held the
Trojans to just five points over the next ten minutes of play to take
an insurmountable 60-40 lead with just under five minutes to play and
then cruised to the 68-44 victory.
Ganton took game-high honors with 20 points on 7-10 shooting,
including 2-4 from behind the arc and 4-5 from the line. He also
added eight rebounds and three assists in the game. Alex Kock
finished with 14 points and eight boards, while Steve Snider and Doug
Sheckler added 10 points apiece. Doug Bell paced the Trojans with 17
points and six boards and Ford and Beucler each contributed 10
points. The Foresters held
Taylor
to just seven field goals and 19 points on 30% shooting in the second
half to run away with the win. The Foresters won the battle of the
boards 35-25 and had just six turnovers to 10 for the Trojans.
Box Score
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