Hot Second Half Pushes The Hawks Past MUW

COLUMBUS, Miss.- Building off their 30 point victory at Warren Wilson two days ago, Huntingdon Women's Basketball hit the road again, this time defeating the Owls of the Mississippi University For Women 88-60 following a hot second half. 

First Quarter

After falling to MUW in their first matchup earlier this season, the Hawks came out of the gates a little slow as the Owls grabbed a 16-13 lead by the end of the first quarter. Led early on by Kennedi McCray and Charity Shaw, Huntingdon battled to a 7-6 deficit through the first three and a half minutes. A small swing for MUW extended their lead to 12-6 by the 5:10 mark, but Makayla Ford's first triple of the night brought the Hawks back within three shortly after. Dalyce Sanders converted on consecutive layups to close the quarter, but Huntingdon still trailed entering the second period. 

Second Quarter

The score for the quarter was the same in the second, but the tables were turned, as the Hawks outpaced the Owls 16-13 to bring the halftime score to 29-29. A pair of Ashanti Thomas free throws got the scoring for the quarter going, setting Kennedi McCray up for a tip-in at the 8:31 mark that gave Huntingdon a slight 17-16 lead. The two sides exchanged blows and the lead concurrently, through the majority of the quarter. The difference came inside the final minute of the half, as Jillian Baine followed up another basket from Thomas with a shot from deep, bringing the Huntingdon lead to 29-26 with 43 seconds remaining. The Owls converted on an and-one play immediately after to even things up heading into the break. 

Third Quarter

Things began to break open for Huntingdon early in the second half, as a 15-2 run in favor of the Hawks through the first four minutes of the quarter guided the Hawks to an eight point advantage for the period. Deshauna Foote set the tone early, hitting a triple and sparking the dominant run that saw baskets come from Makayla Ford, Dalyce Sanders, and Kennedi McCray as Huntingdon secured a 44-31 lead by the 6:53 mark. MUW answered with three consecutive shots from deep as part of an 11-0 run that brought the Owls back within two, 44-42, by the 4 minute mark. From this point, Ford single-handedly traded blows with MUW, scoring 9 of Huntingdon's next 11 to bring the lead to 55-47 as the fourth quarter got underway.

Fourth Quarter

The Hawks hot shooting continued in the fourth quarter, as Huntingdon scored 33 to just 13 for the Owls to cement their 28 point victory on the road. Huntingdon's lead returned to double-digits by the 7:45 mark following baskets from Ashanti Thomas, Dalyce Sanders, and Makayla Ford, and the points kept coming from there, as another 8-2 run pushed the advantage to 69-51. Coming down the stretch, the lead grew to 20 after Charity Shaw's layup before triples from McCray and Ford iced things away. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #12 Makayla Ford- 34 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• #4 Kennedi McCray- 12 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 steals
• #22 Dalyce Sanders- 18 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• #35 Ashanti Thomas- 7 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists

The Hawks kick off conference play this Friday, December 19th, at home as they host Agnes Scott. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM CT.