Women's Basketball Downed At Berry

MOUNT BERRY, Ga.- Following up on their dramatic victory to close out the Millsaps Thanksgiving Classic a week ago, Huntingdon Women's Basketball dropped their second matchup with the Berry Vikings this season by a score of 69-45. 

First Quarter

After defeating the Hawks on a buzzer-beater in the season opener for both teams, the Vikings set the tone early on in this afternoon's contest, outscoring Huntingdon 21-9 in the opening quarter. Berry opened the game with an 8-0 run, with Ashanti Thomas'  layup at the 5:41 mark serving as Huntingdon's first basket of the game. Nonetheless, the Vikings lead swelled to as much as 21-3 before Makayla Ford, Dalyce Sanders, and Jillian Baine each cashed in on shots to close the gap to 12 entering the second quarter. 

Second Quarter

The second quarter saw more of the same, as Huntingdon was outscored 22-11 entering the halftime break. Baine followed up on her basket in the first with her second of the game to get things going and bring Huntingdon within 10, 21-11, by the 9:45 mark, but from that point on it was all Berry, as the Vikings pieced together a 9-0 run to restore their lead to 30-11 by the 7:21 mark. Baine and Ford each hit shots from beyond-the-arc to dig into the lead approaching halftime, but the Vikings remained in control, extending their lead back to 21, 38-17, with four minutes remaining in the half. Three consecutive Ford free throws to close the half brought the score to 43-20 headed into the locker rooms. 

Third Quarter

The Hawks began to find their stride offensively as the second half got underway, but Berry still managed to outpace Huntingdon to the tune of 15-13. Makayla Ford continued to serve as the Hawks spark offensively, scoring seven conseutive points early on to bring the score to 49-27 by the 5:56 mark. In spite of the increased offensive production however, Huntingdon still trailed 58-33 entering the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Huntingdon's best quarter of the contest came in the final 10 minutes, as the Hawks outscored Berry 12-11 as the game came to a close. Abby Byrd, Dalyce Sanders, and Taff Bradley proved to be the Hawks lone sources of offense coming down the stretch, with Byrd and Sanders each scoring five points before a Bradley's pair of free throws brought the final score to 69-45. 

The Hawks will look to bounce back at home tomorrow, December 7th, as they play host to the #8 ranked Emory University Eagles. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM CT.