Huntingdon pulls ahead in second half, knocks off Maryville

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon men's basketball team used a strong second half to spark a 66-56 win over Maryville College on Saturday.

Huntingdon rallied from a double-digit deficit in the first half, took the lead in the first two minutes of the second half and led for the remainder of the game.

The win was Huntingdon's second straight against Maryville and the first home win against the Scots since Jan. 2012.

Huntingdon fell behind early and trailed 22-8 with nine minutes left in the opening half. But the Hawks made a strong run to close the first half and open the second half.

Trailing by 14 points, Huntingdon went on a 30-8 run, outscoring Maryville 18-8 in the final 8:41 of the first half and 12-0 in the first three minutes of the second half.

With 18:23 left in the second half, a 3-pointer by Kyante Pines gave the Hawks their first lead of the game. Huntingdon would not trail again. A 3-pointer by B.J. Barker capped the 28-8 run to put Huntingdon in front 38-30 with 17 minutes to play.

Maryville pulled within four points, 44-40, with 12:57 remaining before Huntingdon answered and pushed its lead to double digits. A 3-pointer by Jacob Champion gave the Hawks a 13-point lead, their largest lead of the game, with 6:04 to play.

Leading 63-56 in the final minute, James Harris hit 3-of-4 free throws to help the Hawks close out the win.

Pines led all scorers with 14 points and Champion scored nine points. Isaiah King added eight points and three assists and Harris finished with a team-high six rebounds and five steals to go with seven points and three assists. Mykel Woods had four blocked shots.

Records: Huntingdon (5-6, 2-2 USA South); Maryville (7-5, 3-2 USA South)

Coming Up: Huntingdon hosts Berea on Sunday at 1 p.m.