Sewanee's Late Push Downs The Hawks

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Returning to Roland Arena for the first time since their season-opener on November 7th, Huntingdon Women's Basketball hosted the Sewanee Tigers in a non-conference showdown before the Thanksgiving Holiday. In a matchup that was highly contested throughout where both teams securing double-digit leads at various points, the Hawks couldn't get it going late, falling to 0-3 on the season with a 68-63 loss. 

First Quarter

Flying out of the gates to get things going, Huntingdon controlled the first 10 minutes of the contest- outscoring Sewanee 23-14. The Hawks defense swarmed the Tiger ball-handlers, as 4/5 Huntingdon starters(Charity Shaw, Makayla Ford, Kiya Crayton, and Kennedi McCray) recorded a steal to force 6 Sewanee turnovers.  Led by their defensive effort, the Hawks lead reached as much as six, 17-11, following Dalyce Sanders' triple nearlng the 1:30 mark, which sparked a 6-0 to end the quarter, handing Huntingdon the momentum headed into the second quarter. 

Second Quarter

As the second quarter got started, Sanders and McCray each put points on the board to grow the Hawks lead to 12, 26-14, by the 7:39 mark- but the Tigers answered in a big way, piecing together a 8-1 run over the course of the next two minutes to draw within five, 27-22. Ashanti Thomas put in a layup on the other end to momentarily stop the bleeding, but Sewanee kept the hot hand, capturing a 30-29 lead at the 3:40 mark with a shot from deep. Their lead proved to be short lived however, as Kiya Crayton cashed in on back-to-back possessions to restore the Huntingdon lead at the 1:41 mark, 33-30. Building off the momentum, Thomas hit another layup inside the final minute to bring the Hawks halftime lead to 35-34. 

Third Quarter

The tables began to turn in the third quarter, as Huntingdon was outscored 16-10 to surrender their first half lead. Offensively, the Hawks struggled throughout the quarter as a whole, shooting 21% from the field and 28% from the charity stripe, which allowed Sewanee to find their footing on the other end of the court. The Tigers opened the second half with a 12-4 scoring run, establishing a 46-39 lead in the process, and despite seeing baskets from Charity Shaw and Ashanti Thomas, Huntingdon entered the fourth quarter facing a 50-45 deficit. 

Fourth Quarter

Boosted by a 5-0 run to get the final quarter of play started, Sewanee held a 10 point advantage, 55-45, approaching the 8 minute mark. Led by Deshauna Foote however, the Hawks strung together a series of baskets and stops, going on a 9-0 run to draw within one, 55-54, with six minutes to go. The Tigers opened up a 5-0 run of their own immediately after to widen the gap, but the Hawks were relentless- Taking a 61-60 lead with 3:34 to go following another Dalyce Sanders three pointer. Coming down the stretch however, Huntingdon lost their stride, as Sewanee outscored the Hawks 8-2 in the final two minutes to walk away with a 68-63 victory. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #2 Deshauna Foote- 12 points, 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
• #12 Makayla Ford- 11 points, 2 rebounds, 2 steals
• #22 Dalyce Sanders- 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals

The Hawks return to action after a brief hiatus for the Thanksgiving holiday on November 29th as they travel to face MUW. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM CT.