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HU men hold off late run by Ohio Christian to win

The Huntington University men’s basketball team withstood a late run by host Ohio Christian University and a 51-point scoring spree by Marquis Johnson to come away with a 104-100 victory on Saturday, Nov. 19.

The Foresters handled the Trailblazers for much of the contest, going up by double digits, 15-3, just over five minutes into the game. Coach Ty Platt’s squad expanded its advantage to 24 points by halftime, 54-30, and maintained a 20-point cushion as late as the 6:19 mark in the second half.

That, however, is when Ohio Christian finally made its move. The hosts went on a 23-7 run over the ensuing four and a half minutes to shrink Huntington’s lead down to just four points, 92-88, with 1:51 remaining in the game. The margin stayed in single-digit territory for the remainder of the contest, with a pair of free throws by Jackson reducing the Trailblazers’ deficit to only two points, 102-100, with five seconds left on the clock. After a foul by Jackson, though, the Foresters’ Mike Bush countered with two freebies of his own to ice the game.

Huntington, 6-1, got 24 points from senior Daniel Woll, who sank 10 of 13 from the field. Sophomore Tyler Arens contributed 21 points to the Forester cause, burying 7 of 9 from the floor, which included a 3 of 3 showing from beyond the arc. Bush, a junior, notched his fifth double-double in seven games, scoring 19 points while dishing out 12 assists. Freshman Konner Platt and sophomore Mason Coverstone rounded out the team’s double-digit efforts with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

The Foresters converted 34 of 56 field goal attempts for 60.7 percent, which included an 11 for 16 showing from three-point land for 68.8 percent. The team shot 83.3 percent at the charity stripe on 25 of 30 marksmanship.

Jackson, a sophomore, went 17 of 25 from the field, 8 of 12 from downtown and a perfect 9 of 9 at the line for the Trailblazers, 4-5. He scored 36 points in the second half.

As a team, the Trailblazers went 34 of 68 from the floor for 50 percent and 14 of 15 at the stripe for 93.3 percent.

Coverstone and Woll corralled eight and seven rebounds, respectively, to give Huntington a 33-20 advantage on the boards.