Hawks Fall In Heart-Breaking Season Opener At The Buzzer

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Welcoming the Vikings to Roland Arena for their game of the 2025-2026 season, Huntingdon Women's Basketball led by as much as 13 as they played host to Berry College, but couldn't hang on, falling 71-69 at the hands of a Vikings game-winner.  Senior guard Makayla Ford lit up the scoreboard tonight, cashing in on 9 threes en route to her 32-point career high to begin her final year in the Hawks backcourt. 

First Quarter

• Neither squad could find their footing early on offensively, with Berry's 3-0 lead three minutes in came solely from points at the charity stripe. 
• The Hawks first points of the new campaign came at the 6:57 mark, as Ashanti Thomas finished through traffic before Deshauna Foote's and-one three put the Huntingdon ahead 6-5. 
• Huntingdon's defense held the Vikings without a field goal through the opening seven minutes of the contest- but Berry managed to get on track with a layup at the 3:06 mark to cut Huntingdon's lead to 12-9
• 5 unanswered points from Makayla Ford in the final 35 seconds of the quarter put the Hawks in front 17-13 entering the second quarter.

Second Quarter

• Ford stayed hot as the second quarter got underway, hitting back-to-back triples as Huntingdon's lead grew to 25-13 by the 8:12 mark
• The Vikings answered with a 5-0 run to draw within three, 23-20 with 6 minutes remaining until halftime
• Coming down the stretch of the first half, Dalyce Sanders and Kennedi McCray would score the Hawks only other baskets in the quarter, spearheading a 6-3 run that gave Huntingdon a 29-23 halftime lead

Third Quarter

• Just like she did in the second period, Makayla Ford came out of the halftime break on fire, hitting another series of back-to-back three pointers to push Huntingdon's lead to 36-24 by the 7:36 mark following Deshauna Foote's free throw
• Berry pieced together a small run to cut the deficit to 10, but Ford kept the hot hand, hitting a third three pointer in five minutes to put the Hawks back in front 42-29 with 4:36 to go until the final period
• Ashanti Thomas put a stop to an 8-0 Vikings run with a layup at the 2:36 mark, bringing the lead to 44-37
• Putting together a 9-2 run, Berry managed to even things up at 46 nearing the final minute of the quarter. Charity Shaw's free throw at the 1:08 mark made way for two more Makayla Ford three pointers, digging the Hawks out of a hole and putting them in control with a seven point lead heading into the final quarter of play.

Fourth Quarter

• As the final period got underway, the two teams traded blows offensively. That being said, Berry pieced together a small run to draw within four, 59-55, with 6:26 to go
• Unguardable at this point, four more points courtesy of Makayla Ford pushed Huntingdon's lead back to 8, 63-55, by the 5:28 mark, but the Vikings responded with a 9-0 run that handed them their first lead since the first quarter at 64-63 with 4 minutes to go. 
• Kiya Crayton and Deshauna Foote each cashed in coming down the stretch to put the Hawks back in front by three, 67-64, but with 1:32 remaining, the Vikings evened things up at 67. Berry went on to take the lead following a layup with 49 seconds remaining, but Foote hit two free throws on the following possession to tie it up at 69 by the 32 second mark.
• In the final 30 seconds, the Hawks got a stop, but turned the ball back over in transition to give Berry a chance with two seconds remaining. The Vikings made the most of their opportunity, drilling a shot at the buzzer to take down Huntingdon 71-69

Hawk Top Performers

• #12 Makayla Ford- 32 points, 6 steals, 2 rebounds, 9/14 from three
• #35 Ashanti Thomas- 10 points, 6 rebounds
• #4 Kennedi McCray- 7 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, 3 steals

The Hawks will look to bounce back on November 15th, traveling to face Oglethorpe University. Gametime is set for 5:30 PM CT.