Hawks Late Rally Comes Up Short Against MUW

JACKSON, Miss.- Heading to Jackson, Mississippi to compete in the Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic, Huntingdon Women's Basketball returned to action following the holiday against the Mississippi University for Women, falling to 0-4 on the season after a 57-55 loss at the hands of the Owls. 

First Quarter

Both teams came out of the gates a little sluggish, as the two teams remained in single-digit scoring numbers through the opening four minutes, as MUW held an 8-5 lead before extending it to 10-5 by the 6 minute mark. The Owls lead grew to as much as 15-5 over the next three minutes with a 7-0 scoring run before Charity Shaw and Ashanti Thomas led a 6-0 Huntingdon run that brought the Hawks within four, 15-11, inside the final minute. As the quarter came to a close, a MUW three raised the Owls lead back to seven, 18-11. 

Second Quarter

MUW maintained their lead in the second quarter, outscoring the Hawks 15-13 to close out the first half. Shaw and Thomas continued to carry the load for Huntingdon offensively early on, but freshman Jillian Baine tacked on a jumpshot of her own at the 7:21 mark to bring the Hawks within three, 20-17, but those two points would be the last two for Huntingdon through the next five minutes, as Kennedi McCray's triple brought Huntingdon's scoring drought to a halt. MUW took advantage of Huntingdon's offensive woes, extending their lead to 33-24 entering the halftime break. 

Third Quarter

The tide began to turn in the third period, as the Hawks outscored the Owls 20-12 to draw within one heading into the final quarter of play. Makayla Ford, Huntingdon's leading scorer, found her stride in the third, hitting two shots from deep in the first four minutes, which combined with more points from Charity Shaw, brought the Hawks within five, 39-34, by the 6:24 mark. In response, the Owls strung together four points to widen the gap back to 8, but Ford and the Hawks remained persistent, opening up a 8-0 run, featuring baskets from Deshauna Foote and Jayla Carter, to draw within one, 43-42, with 1:16 left in the quarter. Foote followed a pair of Owl free throws with a short jumper as the quarter came to a close to cut the deficit to 45-44 as the final quarter got underway.

Fourth Quarter

As the final quarter got started, MUW put up four unanswered points to push their lead to 49-44 with 6:47 to go. In response however, Ford hit her third triple of the night to stop the run. She sank another jumpshot at the 5 minute mark to draw within two, 51-49, by the 5 minute mark, but MUW answered yet again with a triple to remain in front. The Hawks trailed by three, 54-51, as the game winded to the final two minutes, but the Owls hit their free throws when needed, and Huntingdon couldn't find their groove offensively, resulting in a 57-55 loss. 

The Hawks will look to bounce back in Jackson tomorrow, November 30th, as they face off with the Millsaps Majors. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM CT.