Hubbard Reaches 1,000 Points in TU Win Over Foresters
UPLAND, Ind. – Jason Hubbard became the 44th player in the history of the Taylor men’s basketball program to reach 1,000-career points and the Trojans avenged their loss at Huntington on Wednesday with a hard-fought, 80-70, victory over the Foresters on Saturday afternoon.
Hubbard reached and surpassed the 1,000-point mark on a converted and-one that gave the Trojans their first double-digit lead of the contest with just 2:51 remaining. The junior became TU’s first player to reach 1,000 points since Ryan Robinson did so on Silent Night during the 2018-2019 campaign.
Hubbard finished the contest with 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two steals in just 23:48 of work, snapping his string of seven-straight games with at least 20 points. That seven-game stretch was the program’s longest since Casey Coons matched that mark during the 2011-2012 campaign.
The Trojans provided plenty of support on Saturday for Hubbard, led by CJ Penha’s 18 second-half points for a game-high total of 24. Penha added five boards, three helpers and two blocks and moved to within 43 points of joining Hubbard in TU’s 1,000-point club with his fifth 20-point effort of the season.
James McCloud and Kaden Fuhrmann also cracked double figures with 10 points each, with McCloud adding two steals and Fuhrmann collecting seven rebounds. Zach Baugher also chipped in with a career-high 11 rebounds and Kegan Owen provided a spark off the bench with eight points, three assists and a trio of thefts.
After shooting woes derailed Taylor’s chances at Huntington on Wednesday, the Foresters (12-6, 5-5 CL) continued to give TU trouble over the opening half, limiting the Trojans to 40.6 percent shooting in the stanza and only four treys in 15 tries.
The Taylor offense finally found its way in the second half however, shooting 53.6 percent over the final 20 minutes and outscoring the guests by a 45-36 margin to secure the victory. TU drilled five-of-seven three-point attempts in that time and turned the tables on Huntington by holding it to a 36.0-percent rate from the field in the second half with a determined team effort on the defensive end.
It took a strong finish to the contest to put the Foresters away, as a 12-2 spurt from Huntington early in the second half put the Trojans in a 49-44 hole with 12:25 to play.
Taylor countered with a 13-1 stretch over the next four minutes, getting back-to-back triples from Owen and Penha to reclaim the lead for good. Penha then assisted Gavin Yoon for a transition bucket before striking again from deep to open a five-point lead. A hoop from Baugher finished the run and gave TU a 57-50 lead with 8:24 showing on the clock.
HU got back to within four, but another three-ball from Owen turned the guests away for the final time and Taylor finished off the 10-point victory.
The Trojans (9-8, 3-6 CL) are scheduled to return to action on Monday evening, with a 7:00 pm start against No. 24 Saint Francis (16-5, 3-5 CL) inside Odle Arena.
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