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Huntington College 2002-03 Season Summary Two Foresters Earn
Scholar-Athlete Honors The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has announced its awards for the 2002-03 season and Huntington College juniors, Ryan Thwaits and Derek Yoder earned NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete honors. All such honorees are either a junior or senior academically, carry above a 3.5 cumulative grade point average, and excel on the basketball court. This season Thwaits was a starter for the 29-8 Foresters, who won the Mid-Central Conference Tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight at the NAIA Men’s Basketball National Tournament. He finished the 2002-03 season as Huntington’s leading rebounder averaging 8.8 rebounds per game. Yoder played the role of sixth man for HC this season, giving the Foresters a lift with his sharp shooting from long range. His .464 3-point shooting percentage places him sixth among the top shooters in NAIA Div II men’s basketball. Foresters Fall to #1
Northwestern After leading for 32 minutes of the game, the Foresters ran out of steam and succumbed 74-60 to the #1-seeded Northwestern Red Raiders. It was the second time in as many years that the Red Raiders ousted HC from the tournament, defeating them 92-80 in the second round of last year's championship. The Foresters got off to another strong start building a 15-point lead, but then went the final six minutes of the first half without a field goal and finished the half with a slim 34-39 lead. HC stretched the lead to nine early in second half and was up 53-50 with eight minutes to play when they hit the wall, scoring just one field goal the rest of the way. The Red Raiders took their first lead of the game at 55-53 on a putback by Corey Winterfeld and added eight more points before HC's Adam Hill ended the Forester drought with a 3-pointer out of a timeout with 3:31 on the clock. Back to back buckets from Northwestern's Cody Kuipers put the game out of reach and brought the Forester's tourney run to an end. Hill, playing his last game in a Forester uniform, led all scorers in the game with 21 points, while Chase Verba, the only other Forester in double figures, scored 10. Kuipers lead four Red Raiders in double digits with 15. HC finished it's stellar season with a 29-8 record, one win shy of 200 for Coach Platt's career. Box Score HC Knocks Off #8 Seed
Cedarville Revenge is sweet, especially when it comes in the form of a Sweet 16 victory at the NAIA National Tournament. When the Foresters fell 96-54 to the Yellow Jackets of Cedarville University back on December 12, little did they know that they would have an opportunity to avenge the 42-point thrashing on a much larger stage. When the two teams met this time, it was HC that prevailed 80-70, earning a berth in the Elite Eight while sending the Yellow Jackets packing. The Foresters set the tone early, hitting their first six shots and owned a 14-point lead at the half. Cedarville came out of the locker room and immediately went on an 11-1 run that cut the lead to four, which would turn out to be as close as they would get the rest of the game. In the final five minutes, the Yellow Jackets pulled within five three times, but each time, HC had an answer and held on for the win. In looking at the stats for the game, HC was out-rebounded 38-23, but committed just three turnovers in the game to Cedarville's 17. The Foresters also held an advantage from the charity Stripe, scoring 16 point from the line to Cedarville's seven. Five Foresters scored in double figures for the game. Adam Hill took game-high honors with 20 points and added 5 assists. Chase Verba scored 17 and grabbed 7 rebounds. Josh Gast led three Jackets in double figures with 18. With the win, the #9-seeded Foresters (29-7) move to the quarterfinal round of the tournament where they will face the #1-seeded Northwestern Red Raiders. Box Score HC Survives First
Round
The never-say-die Foresters
advance to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament with their
thrilling 71-68 come-from-behind win over Holy Family College of
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. After
building a 12-point lead at 46-34 early in the second half, HC went cold
from the field and found themselves down nine with five minutes to play.
But, the Foresters would not be denied, and mounted a comeback
behind the long range shooting of Justin Riegsecker, Derek Yoder and
Adam Hill. Down 68-63 with
under two minutes to play, the Foresters found Yoder open on the right
wing and he nailed the three to pull HC within two.
HC’s defense held and Adam Hill drove the left side and hit a
layup to knot the score at 68 with :56 left on the clock.
Steve Szychulski missed a three on Holy Family’s next
possession and Riegsecker came down with the rebound.
HC ran the shot clock down to :06 and then found Riegsecker at
the top of the circle who calmly hit his fifth trey of the game to
reclaim the lead for the Foresters with :09 showing on the clock.
Szychulski’s three-pointer at the buzzer bounced off the rim,
giving HC the 71-68 victory. The
Forester’s sharp shooting from downtown was an obvious key to the game
as HC went 15 for 27 from behind the arc in the game, while the Tigers
were just 7 of 19. Freshman
Chase Verba came up big in the first half for the Foresters, scoring 13
of his team-high 18 points while holding the Tiger big-men in check in
the post. Verba also
grabbed a team-leading 7 rebounds.
Riegsecker finished with 17, Yoder added 12 off the bench, and
Brett Snodgrass had 11. The
Foresters (28-7) will meet Cedarville University in tomorrow’s
9:00 a.m. Sweet 16 match-up. Box
Score
HC Takes MCC Tournament
Title After trailing almost the entire game, the Foresters found a way to pull off a 53-52 victory over the Taylor University Trojans to win back to back MCC Conference Tournament titles and earn a return trip to the NAIA National Tournament in Branson, Missouri. HC got off to a very slow start, spotting the Trojans 10 points before Adam Hill finally got them on the scoreboard with one of his three treys in the game. The Foresters clawed their way back to within 31-29 by halftime despite shooting just 39% from the field to Taylor's 54%. Early in the second half, HC took its largest lead of the game at 37-35 on another of Hill's 3-pointers, but Taylor answered with an 11-2 run to put them up 46-39 with just under 11 minutes to play. With 4:53 showing on the clock, Taylor's Matt Traylor hit a layup to put his team up three at 52-49, but the Foresters held the Trojans scoreless the rest of the way, and Justin Riegsecker's runner off the glass with 19 seconds left gave HC a 53-52 lead. Having only been whistled for four fouls in the half, HC fouled the Trojans twice to disrupt their attempts to get organized for their final shot. Taylor finally pushed the ball inside to Adam Musters, whose baseline shot was short, and the buzzer sounded before anyone could control the rebound, giving the Foresters the come from behind win. Senior Adam Hill, playing in his last home game, led the team with 20 points, three assists and four steals. Riegsecker, who hit the game-winner, added 16. Matt Traylor had 20 to led the Trojans and Eric Ford scored 11. The Foresters improve to 27-7 on the season and now await seeding for the NAIA National Tournament. Box Score HC Routs Bethel In MCC
Semifinal After falling twice to the Bethel College Pilots during the regular season, the Foresters responded with an 87-64 rout and set up an MCC Tournament showdown between HC and their regular season co-champion, Taylor University, who defeated Marian College 76-70 in overtime in their semifinal match-up. The Foresters blew open a close game with a 12-2 run to end the first half, which gave them a 43-27 lead at the break. HC's Adam Hill started run with a jumper in the lane and then Ryan Thwaits took over. Thwaits scored eight of the final 10 points and dished out an assist to Brett Snodgrass for the other two. Bethel was able to get within 13 early in the second half, but could get no closer as the Foresters systematically broke down the Pilot's full-court pressure and continued to knock down shots, while holding the high-powered Pilot offense to just 64 points. HC's Hill lead all scorers in the contest with 21 points and Snodgrass, his running mate, added 19. Justin Riegsecker chipped in 13 and Thwaits finished with another double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Adrick Hills led BEthel with 19 points on the day. With the win the men improve to 26-7 on the season and move on to the Championship game of the MCC Tournament on Tuesday, March 4. The Foresters will host the Taylor University Trojans at 7:00 p.m. when they will play for an automatic berth in the NAIA National Tournament in Branson, Missouri on March 12-18, 2003. Box Score Hill MCC Co-Player of
the Year The Mid-Central Conference (MCC) has announced its awards for the 2002-03 season and Huntington College senior, guard Adam Hill, was named Co-Player of the Year. It is the third consecutive year that a Forester has received this honor. Graduate David Porter garnered the award the previous two years during his final two seasons of competition. Hill shares the Player of the Year honor with Grace College’s Matt Abernethy. Joining Hill and Abernethy on the first team are Adam Musters (Taylor University), David Keister (Bethel College), and Matt Traylor (Taylor University). Huntington College junior, Ryan Thwaits and sophomore Justin Riegsecker, were named to the second team and freshmen Chase Verba received third team All-Conference honors. Marian College's Tim Adams received the Newcomer of the Year award and his coach, John Grimes, was named Coach of the Year. Foresters Too
Much For Goshen In typical MCC Tournament fashion, the Foresters stepped up their intensity level and competitiveness to match the magnitude of the game and routed the Goshen College Maple Leafs 84-53. The Foresters jumped all over Goshen early, breaking out to a 23-8 lead midway through the first half, but allowed the Maple Leafs back in the game temporarily by going 3-16 from field over the final ten minutes of the half. HC then exploded out of the locker room with a 23-6 run and never looked back. All five starters scored in double figures for the Foresters with Ryan Thwaits hitting a team-high 15 points. Justin Riegsecker and Brett Snodgrass each added 13, Adam Hill had 12, and Chase Verba finished with a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jeremy High scored a game-high 19 to lead Goshen and Eric Walsh added 15 points and seven rebounds. HC (25-7) now will host #5 Bethel College (21-11), who upset #4 Grace College 92-84, on Saturday, March 1 at 3:00 p.m. Other first round results had #2 Taylor University defeating Indiana Wesleyan University 75-63 and #3 Marian College beating the University of St. Francis 73-69. Box Score Foresters Grab
Share of MCC Title In order for the Foresters to grab a share of the MCC title and claim the top seed for the post-season tournament, they needed to take care of business at home against Indiana Wesleyan and they needed some help from Grace. They got both! HC mounted a 13-point half-time lead, and then used a 20-6 run at the beginning the second half to put the Wildcats away, resulting in the 87-69 win. After the game, the Foresters learned that Grace had knocked off Taylor 76-63, giving HC the tie for the regular season title and home-court advantage for the tournament. Against Indiana Wesleyan, the senior backcourt duo of Brett Snodgrass and Adam Hill put together an impressive performance in front of the Senior Day crowd. Snodgrass scored a game-high 26 points on 10-16 shooting, while Hill finished with a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists. Justin Riegsecker added 18 points and seven rebounds and Ryan Thwaits came up with a second double-double for HC with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Sam Hurrle led the Wildcats with 16 points and six assists. Heading into the MCC Tournament, the #1-seeded Foresters will host #8 Goshen College at the Merillat Complex this Wednesday, February 26 at 7:00 p.m. Other first round match-ups include #7 Indiana Wesleyan at #2 Taylor, #6 St. Francis at #3 Marian, and #5 Bethel at #4 Grace. Box Score Foresters
Complete Sweep of Taylor It was a defensive battle from start to finish which favored the very deliberate style of the Taylor University Trojans, but it was the Foresters who took control of the boards and hit timely free throws to pull out the 54-51 win in overtime. A seven-point HC lead early in the second half was trimmed to one with 15 minutes still remaining in the game, and neither team could gain more than a four-point advantage the rest of the way. With 1:16 on the clock, Taylor's Matt Traylor hit two from the charity stripe to tie it at 45. Neither team scored on their next possession and Justin Riegsecker's shot at the buzzer bounced off the rim, sending the game into overtime. Ryan Thwait's two free throws gave the Foresters a 54-51 lead with under a minute to play in the extra period, and Taylor's final two shot attempts were off the mark giving HC the regular season sweep of the Trojans. The Foresters dominated the boards, allowing the Trojans just 2 offensive rebounds, and held a 48-31 advantage overall. Thwaits (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Riegsecker (12 points, 10 rebounds) both finished the contest with a double-double and Chase Verba (14 points, 9 rebounds) was one rebound short from adding a third. Taylor's Matt Traylor led all scorers with 17 points. The win moves the Foresters within one game of Taylor and keeps alive their chances for a conference title. A Forester win and a Taylor loss in Saturday's final regular season game would give HC a share of the conference title and the coveted #1 seed for MCC tournament. The men now stand at 23-7 on the season and 9-4 in the conference. Box Score HC Gets Back In
Win Column After 18 lead changes and 11 ties, the Foresters came up with a couple of huge baskets and six free throws down the stretch to get the much-needed 72-65 win over Grace College. The victory not only ended the Forester's two-game losing streak, but also gave them sole possession of second place in the MCC. With the scored tied at 62 with just under four minutes to play, Adam Hill hit two free throws to ignite a 6-0 run that proved to be enough for the Foresters to seal the win. Hill led all scorers with 23 points and added five assists and 3 steals. Ryan Thwaits picked up another double-double in the game with 11 points and 12 rebounds, and Chase Verba and Justin Riegsecker scored 15 and 13 respectively. Matt Abernethy and Corey Smith scored 20 a piece to lead the Lancers. The men move to 22-7 on the season and 8-4 in the MCC. Box Score Pilots Knock Off
Foresters The Bethel College Pilots took advantage of a slow start and a lackluster defensive effort by the Foresters to run away with the 100-89 win. With HC again struggling from the field, Bethel jumped out to an 18-6 lead five minutes into the game. The Foresters got back within four at 20-16 on a trey by Justin Riegsecker, which turned out to be as close as they would get the rest of the game. In the second half, the Foresters made a run to get within six at 82-76 with nine minutes to play, but the Pilots quickly pushed the lead back to 11 to end the threat. Bethel put four players in double figures with Adrick Hills scoring a team-high 24. Teammate David Keister added 20 points on a perfect 10-10 shooting performance. HC's Justin Riegsecker led all scorers in the game with 28. Adam Hill chipped in 25 points and seven assists. The loss puts the Foresters in a tie for second place in the conference with Grace, both having 7-4 records. The men fall to 21-7 overall. Box Score Shooting Woes
Continue For Foresters The Forester's shooting woes continued and this time cost them the top spot in the conference standings as they fell 83-67 to Marian College. For the third time in four games, HC has had trouble finding the bottom of the net on the road. Against the Knights, the Foresters were a measly 28% (8-29) from the field in the first half, which led to a 42-26 deficit at the half. In the second half, HC improved to 40% from the field, but it wasn't enough to make a dent in Marian's lead as the Knights shot 64% for the half. The Knights were paced by five players scoring in double figures with Brad Metzger leading the way with 25 for the game. Jeremy Budreau chipped in a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Brett Snodgrass had 14 points to lead four Foresters in double digits. With the loss, the men fall into second place with a 7-3 conference record, one game behind Taylor ,who is at 8-2. HC is 21-6 overall. Box Score
Foresters Get Win on Road Poor shooting performances by both teams led to a defensive battle with the Foresters coming out on top 63-56 over the Goshen College Maple Leafs. Despite shooting a dismal 35% from the field in the first half, HC still managed a slim 32-29 lead at the half. In the second half, the Foresters warmed up to 47%, just enough to get them the less than pretty win on the road. Adam Hill had an all-around game for the Foresters, scoring a game-high 18 points, dishing out 4 assists, and swiping 5 steals. Chase Verba continued his solid play in the MCC contributing 16 points and 9 rebounds, and Derek Yoder added 12 points off the bench. Josh Turnpaugh led the Maple Leafs with 13. HC, ranked 10th in the latest NAIA poll, moves to 21-5 on the season and 7-2 in the conference with the win. Box Score
Foresters Nip Cougars Down 69-58 with 13:29 left in the game, the Foresters seemed to be headed for their second straight MCC loss, but an 18-5 run and some late heroics by Adam Hill gave them the 90-89 win over the University of St. Francis Cougars. HC's Chase Verba and Hill combined for 15 of the 18 points in the run that gave them a 76-74 lead with 7:10 remaining. But the Cougars would not go away and regained the lead at 89-88 on a jumper by John Gensic with 31 seconds to play. Coach Platt called a timeout to set the Foresters final play. Hill took the ball to the wing and dropped it in to Verba on the block. Verba dished it back out to Hill who drove and laid the ball over the rim to take the 90-89 lead. Nick Ankenbruck's 3-point attempt at the buzzer came up short, giving HC the win. Hill and Justin Riegsecker each scored 19 to lead the Foresters and Verba added 16. HC also got 12 points and 12 rebounds from Ryan Thwaits who decided to play while awaiting second and third opinions on his lower back problems. St. Francis' Ankenbruck led all scorers with a game-high 25 points. The win keeps HC atop the conference standings with their 6-2 record and moves them to 20-5 on the season. Box Score IWU Edges
Foresters It happens often in sports, a monumental victory followed by a disappointing defeat. Unfortunately, such was the case for the Foresters. After notching an impressive win over 12th-ranked Taylor University on Saturday, HC traveled to Indiana Wesleyan for their final game of the first round of conference play and fell 77-71 to the 8-13 Wildcats. With Ryan Thwaits still sidelined with a lower back injury, the Foresters lacked the extra spark late in the game to push them over the top. With the score tied at 66 and 2:27 on the clock, the Wildcats knocked down back to back 3-pointers to take a four point lead with under a minute to play. HC was then forced to foul and Indiana Wesleyan sealed the win from the stripe. Adam Hill again led the Foresters with 21 points and 7 assists. Chase Verba Added 15 points and a team-high 8 rebounds for HC. IWU's Scott Strahm led five Wildcats in double figures with 19 points. Despite the loss, the Foresters remain in a 3-way tie for first place with Marian and Taylor with their 5-2 MCC record and fall to 19-5 on the season. Box Score Foresters Edge
Taylor In a clash between two NAIA heavyweights, it was the 8th-ranked Foresters that delivered the knockout punch, ending a four-game losing streak to the 12th-ranked Trojans of Taylor University with their 77-72 victory. Down four at the half, after playing at Taylor's very deliberate tempo, the Foresters picked up the pace in the second half and outscored Taylor 24-6 in a four minute stretch to take a seven point lead with just under ten minutes to play. With :55 showing on the clock, the Trojans pulled to within three at 75-72 on a layup by Matt Lettinga, but Adam Hill drove the baseline and hit a pull-up jumper with 35 seconds remaining to preserve the win for HC. Hill continued his hot streak leading all scorers with 22 points and added 7 assists and 3 steals. Brett Snodgrass looked more like his old self, hitting for 21 on 8-12 shooting, including 3-5 from 3-point range. Justin Riegsecker and Derek Yoder finished in double figures as well for HC, scoring 18 and 10 respectively. Eric Ford scored 16 to lead the Trojans. With the win, the men move to 19-4 on the season and 5-1 in the conference. Box Score Foresters
Outlast Grace After building a 19-point lead late in the first half, the Foresters let yet another opponent back in the game, but held on to get the 90-87 win in overtime over Grace College. With HC up 75-73 and :39 on the clock, the Lancers sent Ryan Thwaits to the foul line. Thwaits, a 78% free throw shooter on the season, left the door open by hitting just one of two. On Grace's ensuing possession, Ben Snyder threw in a 3-pointer, his only trey of the game, to send the contest into overtime. Grace took an early 6-point lead in the extra period on a 3-pointer from Daniel Bucher and a traditional 3-point play by Matt Abernethy. Then Adam Hill took over. Hill scored seven of HC's next nine points and knocked down the final two free throws of the game to seal the win. Hill finished with a game-high 28 points on 8-12 shooting, including 3-6 from long range and 9-9 from the line. In his sixth man role, Derek Yoder again provided a spark for the Foresters by hitting five 3-pointers on his way to a 17-point performance. Justin Riegsecker, Ryan Thwaits, and Brett Snodgrass all reached double figures as well, scoring 15, 11, and 10 respectively. Abernethy dropped in 26 to lead the Lancers. With the win, the men improve to 18-4 overall and 4-1 in the MCC. Box Score Hill MCC Player
of Week Huntington College senior, Adam Hill, was named the Mid-Central College Conference Player-of-the-Week for the week of January 13-19. He netted 54 points in two games, leading the #7-ranked Foresters to a 1-1 week. In the Foresters’ 85-68 win over Marian College, he scored 27 points and had 7 assists and followed that up with another 27-point performance in their 74-73 loss to Bethel. Hill hit 11 3-pointers and went 11 of 12 from the free throw line in the two games. As a starting guard this season, Hill has been a mainstay as the Foresters’ top scorer and playmaker. Currently he is averaging 18.9 points and 5.7 assists per game, and continues to move up Huntington College’s list of all-time scorers. His 1,166 career points put him 22nd on the list. He needs 21 points to move past Jack Davis (1964-68, 1,186), number 21 on the list.
Pilots Down Foresters Bethel College's David Keister hit two free throws with .8 seconds showing on the clock to lift the Pilots to the 74-73 win over the Foresters. Just six seconds earlier the Foresters had regained the lead on two free throws from Adam Hill, but a rebounding foul called on Ryan Thwaits with less than a second to play gave the Pilots the opportunity to hand HC its first loss in conference play. Down 62-51 with just over seven minutes to play, the Foresters went on a 19-8 run to tie the score at 70 with 3:17 showing on the clock. HC's Adam Hill and Derek Yoder each hit two 3-pointers to spark the comeback, but over the final three minutes, the Forester offense sputtered, going 0 for 4 from the field with a turnover. Hill led all scorers in the game with 27, while Chase Verba added 16 points and 9 rebounds. Keister had 18 to lead the Pilots. The loss drops the Foresters to 17-4 on the season and 3-1 in the MCC. Box Score
Foresters Bomb Knights The Foresters used some timely long range shooting to put away the Marian College Knights 85-68 and remain undefeated in MCC play. After HC had built a 12-point lead at the half, the Knights took charge early in the second half using a 19-7 run to knot the score at 48 with 12 minutes remaining in the game. Over the next three minutes, the Foresters responded with their own 16-2 run to regain control of the game. Four different players (Adam Hill, Ryan Thwaits, Derek Yoder, and Justin Riegsecker) knocked down a 3-pointer during that stretch and Chase Verba added two field goals of his own. HC's Hill led all scorers in the game with 27 points on 8-13 shooting, including 6-11 from downtown and 5-5 from the line. Yoder came off the bench and hit five treys on his way to a career-high 21 points. Verba continued his hot streak going 6-11 for 16 points, and Riegsecker added 11. Zach Robbins led three Knights in double figures with 24. The win moves the Foresters to 17-3 on the season and 3-0 in the MCC. Box Score
Verba Too Much For Maple Leafs The Goshen College Maple Leafs had no answer for HC freshman Chase Verba who went a perfect 10-10 from the field to help lead the Foresters to an 87-68 MCC victory. Verba took advantage of the under-sized Maple Leaf post players, scoring a career high 21 points and grabbing a team-high 7 rebounds. When Goshen began to collapse in the paint, HC then kicked it out to its 3-point specialist, Brett Snodgrass, who knocked down five treys in the game on his way to a game-high 23 points. Justin Riegsecker, Ryan Thwaits, and Derek Yoder were the other Foresters to reach double figures with each scoring 11. Eric Walsh led Goshen with 18 points. With the win, the Foresters improve to 16-3 on the season and 2-0 in the MCC. Box Score
Foresters Top Cougars The Foresters opened their conference season with a 75-62 win on the road over the Cougars of St. Francis. HC used a 26-4 burst early in the game to take a commanding 43-23 lead into the locker room at the half. The Cougars, who were a dismal 24% from the field in the first half, found their range in second to pull within 12 of the Foresters, but could get no closer. Justin Riegsecker led all scorers in the game with 24 points, including 5/9 from downtown. Adam Hill and Brett Snodgrass were the only other Foresters in double figure with 20 and 18 respectively. St. Francis' John Gensic led the Cougars with 20, and Zach Beiswanger added 11 off the bench. With the win, the Foresters move to 15-3 on the season and 1-0 in the conference. Box Score Late Rally Aids
Foresters Although they had difficulty finding the range for the first 33 minutes of the game, the Foresters finished with a flurry, out-scoring the Thomas More Saints 28-9 over the final seven minutes to pull out the 79-71 victory. HC shot just 35% for the game to the Saint's 50%, but the Foresters out-scored Thomas More 25-9 at the line. HC's Brett Snodgrass led all scorers with 17 points. Adam Hill had 16 and Justin Riegsecker added 12. Ryan Thwaits finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Dustin Mulberry led the Saints with 14. With the win, HC concludes its pre-conference schedule with a 14-3 record. Box Score Foresters End
Losing Streak The Huntington College Foresters used two runs of 16-2 and 17-2 to put away the Grenadiers of Indiana University Southeast 76-61, ending their 3-game losing skid. Despite an overall sub-par shooting performance, HC was able to knock down 43% of their 3-point shots (9/21), while the Grenadiers were only 2 of 18 from behind the arc. The Foresters also held a sizeable advantage on the boards, outrebounding IUS 47-33. IUS' 6'11 center, Chris Garnett lead all scorers with 25 points. HC's returned to its balanced offensive attack with five players scoring in double figures, led by Adam Hill's 19. Brett Snodgrass had 13, Justin Riegsecker added 12 and Chase Verba and Derek Yoder each contributed 10. The Foresters improve to 13-3 on the season with the win. Box Score Foresters Drop
Third Straight The NAIA DI 25th-ranked University of St. Francis took advantage of the Foresters' continuing shooting woes and handed them their third straight loss, eking out the 74-72 win. Down 56-46 with just under 10 minutes to play, the Foresters went on a 14-3 run over the next five minutes to get back in the game and held a slim 69-68 lead with 1:07 showing on the clock. The Fighting Saints regained the lead when Luke Sillar hit two free throws after being fouled on a putback attempt, and then went up three when Brian Zirkle scored as a result of an HC turnover. Justin Riegsecker knotted the score at 72 with a huge 3-pointer, but Zirkle answered with an off-balance shot in the paint with 8 second remaining to put the Saints back up two. Adam Hill failed to connect on his attempt at the buzzer. Hill led all scorer's in the game with 24, and Ryan Thwaits just missed a triple-double with 10 points, 13 rebounds and 8 assists. St. Francis' Brian Krug had 18 off the bench to lead four Saints in double figures. The loss drops the men to 12-3 on the season. Box Score Yellow Jackets
Sting Foresters The Foresters struggled through their worst shooting performance of the season, shooting a dismal 27.9% from the field, and fell 96-54 to the Yellow Jackets of Cedarville University. With both teams having trouble finding the range in the first half, HC was down just seven at the midpoint at 36-29. The second half was a different story. While the Forester's shooting woes continued, the Yellow Jackets shot a blistering 61.1% on their way to a 60-point second half and handed HC their second straight loss after beginning the season 12-0. Cedarville had 11 players score in the rout, including five in double figures. Thomas Mugabe and Josh Gast shared game-high honors, scoring 16 apiece. Adam Hill scored 13 to lead the Foresters, while Chase Verba and Ryan Thwaits added 11 and 10 respectively. HC falls to 12-2 on the season with the loss. Box Score Oilers Slip
Past Foresters The Foresters battled hard to keep their winning streak alive, but the University of Findlay Oilers outlasted HC 74-70 to end the streak at 12. After trailing the entire game by as many as 13 points, HC mounted several comebacks but could never take the lead. With :45 showing on the clock, Brett Snodgrass hit a jumper that finally put HC up 70-69 lead, but on the Oilers' next possession, Tyson McLaughlin knocked down a 3-pointer to reclaim the lead for Findlay. After a Forester timeout, Dustin Pfeifer picked Adam Hill's pocket with the resulting layup ending HC's hope of remaining perfect on the season. Snodgrass, who appears to be finding his rhythm, took game-high honors, scoring 22 points. Freshman Chase Verba also turned in a stellar performance scoring a career high 20 on 8-10 shooting and grabbing 8 rebounds, while Adam Hill chipped in 17 points and 5 assists. The Oilers put five in double figures with Marwan Gaines and Brad Rethman each scoring 13 to lead the team. With the loss, the men are 12-1 on the season. Box Score Foresters
Continue Win Streak The Foresters jumped on the Trojans of Trinity International University early, running out to a 44-24 halftime lead, and moved their winning streak to 12 in a row with the 90-69 win. The Trojans' Adam Vietmeier led all scorers in the game with 30 points. HC's Brett Snodgrass backed up his 30-point performance the night before with a team-high 26 against the Trojans. Adam Hill added a double-double to the Foresters cause with 22 points and 10 assists, and Justin Riegsecker connected for 21 points. HC will put its unbeaten streak to the test on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. when the University of Findlay Oilers come to town. Box Score Foresters Win
11th Straight After shooting a frigid 37% from the field in the first half, the Foresters re-grouped at halftime and put Rio Grande away with a 53-point second half to notch their 11th straight win, defeating the Redmen 93-71. While struggling from the field at times, the Foresters were able to capitalize at the free throw line, where they hit 82% of their charity tosses and outscored Rio Grande 32-11. Brett Snodgrass came up big for HC, scoring a season-high 30 points on 8-15 shooting, including 3-6 from downtown and 11-12 at the line. Adam Hill finished with 17 points and 8 assists, and Ryan Thwaits added 14 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Randar Luts scored 13 to lead the Redmen. Note: In the latest NAIA Top-25 ranking, the 11-0 Foresters moved up from 16th to 8th. Oregon Tech was 1st and MCC opponent, Taylor University, was 3rd. Box Score Foresters Rally
to Stay Perfect After leading for most of the game, the Foresters found themselves down 76-71 with four minutes to play, but then out-scored the Pioneers of Malone College 13-1 down the stretch to win the game 84-77 and remain perfect on the season. After Brett Snodgrass hit a 3-pointer to tie the score at 76, HC went 8-8 from the line in the final minute to seal their tenth straight win. "The defense stepped up when we needed it," said Coach Platt. "We were getting wide open shots in the second half that weren't falling, but I think we showed good focus to claw our way back to win." Adam Hill led all scorers in the game with 23 points, and added five assists and five steals. Justin Riegsecker and Brett Snodgrass joined Hill in double figures with 20 and 15 respectively. Jason Hess led four Pioneers in double digits with 20. Box Score Foresters Move to
9-0 Down 40-38 at the half, the Foresters put together a 54-point second half to keep their unbeaten streak alive at 9-0, defeating Judson College 92-83. Although HC struggled from the field, shooting just 40% for the game, it was their sharp shooting from the charity stripe that was the difference in the game. The Foresters were 27-30, while the Eagles were 16-21 from the line. All five of HC's starters reached double figures in the game, but it was Adam Hill who stole the show. Hill scored a career high 32 points in the game, was a perfect 12-12 from the line, tying a school record for best free throw percentage in a game, and dished out 9 assists. Ryan Thwaits picked up his fifth double-double of the season, finishing with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Riegsecker added 16, Brett Snodgrass had 11 and Chase Verba finished with 10. Lawrence McGhee and Morgan Thompson led the Eagles with 19 a piece. Box Score Foresters Take
Classic Title After spotting Cumberland College six points to begin the game, the Foresters settled down, worked their way to a 39-23 halftime lead, and dominated the Panthers in the second half to take the Classic title 80-53. After missing a triple-double by one assist the night before, HC's Ryan Thwaits, the Classic MVP, wrapped up the honor with his 22-point, 15-rebound, 7-assist performance in the championship game. "He's tenacious and a fierce competitor," said Coach Platt. "You really can't coach that -- it's something built into the man." Thwaits had some help on the defensive end as the Foresters held the Patriots, who were ranked 6th in the NAIA Division I pre-season polls, to 33% shooting for the game, while connecting on 42% themselves. Adam Hill, who joined Thwaits and teammate Brett Snodgrass on all-tournament team, was the only other Forester to hit double figures, connecting for 22. Cumberland's Demorrius Thomas, also an all-tournament team selection, lead the Patriots with 15. Cumberland's Jerald Tisdale and Trinity International's Jeff Harrison complete the list of all-tournament team honorees. With the win, the Foresters remain undefeated on the season, moving to 8-0. Box Score Foresters
Dismantle Purdue North Central The Foresters shot out of the gate mounting a 31-4 lead seven minutes into the game and clobbered the Purdue North Central Panthers 110-40 in the opening round of the Huntington College/Ness Bros. Hall of Fame Classic. After beginning the season in a shooting slump, HC's Brett Snodgrass seemed to finally find the range, going 7-12 in the game, including 5-7 from beyond the arc, to take top honors in the game with 25 points. Ryan Thwaits just missed a triple-double, scoring 16 points, grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 9 assists, all in just 20 minutes of play. Four other Foresters also reached double digits. Adam Hill had a perfect game going 5-5 from the field and 2-2 from the line for 15 points, Steve Snider and Derek Yoder both came off the bench and added 14 and 13 points respectively, and Justin Riegsecker finished with 11. The win moves the Foresters into the Classic championship game against Cumberland College, who defeated Trinity International University 88-70 in their opening round match-up. Box Score Foresters Rally
For First Road Win The Foresters took to the road for the first time this season and needed some late heroics from an unlikely duo to bring home the 78-74 win over the Warriors of Indiana Tech. Down 62-48 with 9 minutes to play, the situation looked bleak for HC, but Derek Yoder and Justin Riegsecker put the team on their backs and carried them to victory. Yoder and Riegsecker led the rally charge by combining for six consecutive treys, hitting 4 and 2 respectively, to bring the Foresters within three at 69-66. The two also combined for HC's next ten points, which gave the Foresters a 74-71 lead. After a Warrior 3-pointer tied the game, Ryan Thwaits then scored on a driving layup to put HC up 76-74, and then sealed the win with two free throws after being fouled with 6.7 seconds to go. Yoder, Riegsecker and Adam Hill each finished the game with 18 points to take game-high honors. Hill, who just missed a triple-double, added 9 assists and 8 rebounds. Indiana Tech, who was 7-0 entering the contest, was led by JuJuan Cooley's 16 points. With the win, the men maintain their unblemished record, moving to 6-0 on the season. Box Score Foresters Cruise
to Fifth Straight Win The Foresters finally were able to put together two solid halves of basketball and cruised to their fifth straight win of the season defeating Tri-State University 90-60. Getting his first start of the season, Justin Riegsecker made the most of his opportunity, knocking down 27 points on 12-15 shooting, including 3-6 from behind the arc to lead the Foresters. Ryan Thwaits and Chase Verba also had hot hands on the night. Thwaits went 5-6 from the floor and 4-4 from the line to finish with 15 points, while Verba was 6-8 from the field for 12 points. Brett Snodgrass and Derek Yoder both chipped in 11, adding to HC's balanced offensive effort. An out-matched Tri-State Thunder squad put two in double figures with Micah Williams leading the team with 12 and John Taylor adding 11. With the win, the Foresters remain undefeated on the season with a 5-0 record. Box Score Foresters Win 4th
Straight Despite squandering a 15-point first half lead, the Foresters once again hit key shots and free throws down the stretch to pick up their fourth straight win of the season, defeating Purdue Calumet 78-70. Through the first 13 minutes of the game, the Foresters looked to be hitting on all cylinders as they built a 33-18 lead, but a Laker 10-0 run put a halt to HC's momentum and had the Foresters scrambling to hang on to the 38-35 lead at the half. The second half was a seesaw affair with five ties and six lead changes, but with HC clinging to a 72-70 lead with 1:04 on the clock, it was Adam Hill who scored HC's final six points on two driving layups and two free throws to give the Foresters the win. Brett Snodgrass led HC with 18 points on the night, Hill finished with 15 and Ryan Thwaits and Justin Riegsecker each added 11. Purdue Calumet's Rayfield Stringer took top honors for the game with 21 points, while teammate Tony Maranzana had 20. Box Score Thwaits, Bench
Sparks Comeback It looked as if the Foresters were headed to their first loss of the season, but an unbelievable rally from a 16-point deficit lifted HC to a 71-70 win over St. Xavier University, and gave them their third straight win on the season. With his starting backcourt providing little help on the offensive end, Coach Platt went to his bench in search of some firepower. Ryan Thwaits, Derek Yoder and Justin Riegsecker came to the rescue. Yoder scored a team-high 14 points on 5-7 shooting, including 4-6 from downtown, and Thwaits and Riegsecker each added 13. Both Yoder and Riegsecker scored six points during HC's comeback. Freshmen Trevor Shively and Chase Verba also aided the rally effort with Shively hounding SXU's point guard into three turnovers in the closing minutes of the game, while Verba scored all eight of his points in the final three minutes. Thwaits recorded his second double-double of the season and was two assists short of a triple-double with his 11 rebounds and 8 assists. "Thwaits has no quit in him," said Coach Platt. "He's a fierce competitor and I don't think they've made an adjective yet to describe him." Platt also was pleased with his bench production. "We've got more depth than maybe we thought we did. I think we will really grow from a game like this." Box Score Foresters Hold
Off Spring Arbor It took contributions from all nine Foresters that played in the game to help them overcome a hot-shooting Spring Arbor University 92-91. The game was a seesaw affair that sported 10 ties and 10 lead changes, but again the Foresters were able to seal the win at the free throw line with Ryan Thwaits and Adam Hill combining to go six for six in the final 1:36. HC was again led by Adam Hill's 24 points, but this time got scoring from many sources as each Forester that played scored. Four teammates joined Hill in double digits with Justin Riegsecker dropping in 15 off the bench, Brett Snodgrass scoring 14, Thwaits contributing 13 points 7 rebounds and 5 assists, and Chase Verba adding 11 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Spring Arbor was led by Jason DeSmyter's 22 points. With the win, the Foresters improve to 2-0 on the season. Box Score Foresters Hang On
For Win It was opening night and the Foresters were able to hold off the Blue Knights of Urbana University long enough to get the 84-80 win. From the opening tip, HC shot out of the gate, racing to an early 11-2 lead behind the sharp shooting and hustle of freshman, Chase Verba, who scored six of the Forester's first eight points. But as would be the case all evening, the Blue Knights would not go away. Urbana responded with a 7-0 run of their own to get back in the game. HC forged ahead again taking its biggest lead of the half at 42-28 as Justin Riegsecker's three-pointer from the top beat the half-time buzzer. The Foresters came out of the locker room and pushed the lead to 18 at 50-32, but again, the Blue Knights rallied. By the 10-minute mark, they tied the game at 58 on an old-fashioned three-point play by Al Davenport, and held a 64-60 advantage a minute later. HC senior Brett Snodgrass, who had been relatively quiet throughout the game, scored the Foresters next five points to regain the lead for good. Over the final six minutes, Ryan Thwaits hit a three and went 7 for 8 from the line, and Adam Hill knocked down two treys to combine for HC's final 16 points. Hill took game-high honors with 27 points on the night on 9-18 shooting, including 6-12 from behind the arc. Thwaits added a double-double with 14 points and 16 rebounds, while Snodgrass and Verba each finished with 13. Urbana's Jarrod Brumbaugh had a team-high 16 points. Box Score
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