Men's Basketball Catches Fire At LaGrange

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Returning to conference play on Tuesday night, Huntingdon men's basketball delivered one of its most explosive offensive performances of the season, knocking down 20 three-pointers en route to a 123-92 victory over LaGrange on the road.

First Half

LaGrange struck first, jumping out to a quick 6-0 lead in the opening minutes. Owen LaRocca put the Hawks on the board with a three-pointer, and Tyler Mallory followed with one of his own to give Huntingdon its first lead at 8-6. Trailing 16-12 midway through the half, the Hawks flipped the momentum with a 13-0 run. Back-to-back triples from Mallory, along with a three from Keyshawn Dickey, pushed Huntingdon in front 25-16. The Panthers cut the deficit to single digits briefly, but Huntingdon continued to answer. Myles Johnson converted inside to extend the lead to double figures, and another Mallory three stretched the advantage to 41-28 with just under eight minutes remaining. LaGrange made one final push late in the half, trimming the lead to 58-46, but Mallory buried a three in the closing seconds to send the Hawks into the break in control, 60-47. 

Second Half

After trading baskets early in the half, LaRocca opened the scoring for Huntingdon with his third triple of the night. Moments later, Myles Murphy connected from deep on consecutive possessions to extend the Hawks lead to 69-52. LaGrange cut the deficit to 73-60 near the midway point of the half, but Huntingdon responded once again. Free throws from Murphy and Dickey, followed by another perimeter jumper, pushed the lead back beyond 20. With 7:32 remaining, the Hawks eclipsed the 100-point mark and continued to pour it on down the stretch. Huntingdon's hot shooting never cooled, as the lead swelled to as many as 31 before settling at the final margin of 123-92. Huntingdon finished the night shooting 53.2% (42-of-79) from the floor and 57.1% (20-of-35) from beyond the arc, assisting on 21 made field goals.

Hawk Top Performers

• #24 Tyler Mallory- 28 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists
• #10 Myles Murphy- 24 points, 4 rebounds
• #2 Marcus Townsend- 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
• #14 Owen LaRocca- 11 points, 3/3 from three

The Hawks will look to keep rolling on February 13th as they travel to face off with #23 Maryville. Tip-off is set for 5:00 PM CT