Hot Start Pushes LaGrange Past The Hawks

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Looking to respond following their first conference loss of the season this past weekend at Piedmont, Huntingdon Women's Basketball squared off with the LaGrange Panthers at home, falling 66-58 to their conference rivals. 

First Quarter

LaGrange, entering tonight's contest coming off a 75-70 loss at Belhaven, hit their stride early to take a 20-13 lead into the second quarter. Kennedi McCray and Charity Shaw each cashed in early to guide Huntingdon's offense early on before Makayla Ford's jumper at the 4:40 mark cut the deficit to 11-8. Trailing 15-11 nearing the final 2 minutes however, it was all LaGrange, as the Panthers closed the quarter on a 5-2 run to stake control early. 

Second Quarter

The second quarter saw more of the same, as the Hawks put up 10 points to the Panthers' 17 to bring the score to 37-23 entering the halftime break. Ashanti Thomas brought a nice spark off the bench, scoring on consecutive possessions to match baskets on the other end by LaGrange, but nonetheless the Panthers managed to extend their lead to double digits, 26-16, by the six minute mark in the quarter. Thomas and Jillian Baine each sank shots from the charity stripe to momentarily dig into the deficit, but LaGrange continued to pour it on, pushing the lead to as much as 17 nearing halftime. Free throws from Deshauna Foote and McCray brought the half to a close on a positive note, but the deficit remained headed into the third quarter. 

Third Quarter

Huntingdon, in need of a strong second half to comeback, kicked things off with an exceptional third quarter- outpacing the Panthers to the tune of 21-9 as the Hawks cut their 14 point halftime deficit to just two, 46-44, entering the final quarter of play. Defense was the name of the game, as Huntingdon held the Panthers to just 18% from the field and 0% from beyond the arc in the quarter, creating opportunities for easy baskets on the other end. Senior Charity Shaw came to life in the second half, pouring in 8 points, 1 rebound, and 1 steal through 10 minutes of action to spark the comeback. Kennedi McCray led the charge as well with six points, 2 assists, 1 rebound, and 1 steal. The run began from the onset of the period, as Kiya Crayton, McCray, Shaw, Ford, and Foote all hit the scoring column on the 17-3 tear through the first seven minutes to even the score at 40 by the 3:18 mark. After trading a pair of baskets Charity Shaw sank a short jumpshot to give the Hawks their first lead since the first quarter at 44-42 with the final two minutes looming. A 4-0 Panthers swing to close the quarter restored the LaGrange lead at 46-44 with 10 minutes to play. 

Fourth Quarter

Entering the fourth quarter hanging on to a slight lead, LaGrange put up yet another 20 point quarter to maintain their advantage throughout the final 10 minutes and walk away with the win. Huntingdon battled on both ends of the court, scoring 14 points of their own while forcing multiple turnovers, but ultimately the first half deficit proved to be too much to overcome as Huntingdon fell to 7-8 on the year and 4-2 in CCS play. 

The Hawks will look to bounce back this Saturday, January 17th, as they hit the road to take on Asbury University. Tip-off is set for 1:00 PM CT.