The
second-seeded Huntington University Foresters (29-5) rolled over the
Fisher College Falcons (15-15) 99-58 in first round action of the
NAIA Division II Basketball National Tournament. Despite some
shooting woes early in the contest, the Foresters took an early 12-0
lead by crashing the offensive boards and making good use of their
height advantage. The Falcons battled back within six at 18-12, but
that was as close as they would get. Following an HU timeout, the
Foresters got their running game in gear and sprinted to a 49-23
lead at the break. HU recovered from the slow start to shoot 50%
(20-40) for the half while holding Fisher to 30% (8-27). The
Foresters were all over the boards collecting 13 first half
offensive boards and 28 total to just 11 total rebounds for the
Falcons.
There was no letdown to begin the second
half as HU continued to add to its lead. Behind the solid
performance of Alex Kock, who went for 30 points on 12-16 shooting,
including 4-5 from behind the arc and 2-2 from the line, the
Foresters pushed their advantage to 70-34 with just under eleven
minutes to go. Coach Platt then went to his bench to give his
younger players some quality minutes and they did more than hold
their own in earning the 41-point victory.
HU’s Doug Sheckler joined Kock in double
figures with 11. Steve Snider added seven points and 10 boards and
Jared Yoder finished with seven assists. Mike Newcombe paced Fisher
with 29 points and Jofre Cruz added 12. The Foresters shot 53% for
the game and went 10-17 from downtown for 59%. The Falcons finished
the game at 40% shooting from the field and 25% (4-16) from behind
the arc. HU also out-rebounded the Falcons 44-27. The Foresters
will face the winner of the #15 Evangel (Mo.)/Bellevue (Neb.) game
tomorrow at 5:45 p.m. (CST).
For a complete box score, see
Box Score.
