Hawks Survive Rough Shooting Night To Complete Season-Opening Road Sweep

SEWANEE, Tenn.- Facing the Stormy Petrels as the Lon Varnell Classic came to an end, Huntingdon men's basketball(2-0 overall) survived a tough shooting night from the field, narrowly escaping Oglethorpe University(1-1 overall) 69-65.

First Half

• Layups from Nate Johns and BJ Brown guided Huntingdon to an early 6-0 lead three minutes into the game
• The Stormy Petrels responded with two baskets of their own, but Randall Davis and Jeremy Autin's energy off the bench allowed Huntingdon to push their lead to as much as 14-4
• Oglethorpe brought the Hawks lead back to single digits at the 13:57 mark, but finishes inside by Autin and Johns put Huntingdon back in front 20-9 with nine minutes remaining until halftime
• A 7-0 Stormy Petrel run cut Huntingdon's lead to 22-16 inside the final seven minutes of the half
• Holding on to a two point advantage, DaQuan Hawkins sank a timely triple to push the Hawks advantage back to 27-22 at the 4:19 mark
• With an Oglethorpe tip-in tying the game at 29, the two teams traded baskets over the next possessions, with the Stormy Petrels eventually claiming a 31-30 lead with 20 seconds remaining until halftime. Three free throws from BJ Brown put the Hawks back in the lead 33-31 entering the second half

Second Half

• Maintaining the back-and-forth theme of the contest, Oglethorpe evened the score on their first possession of the second half at 35. 
• Even at 39, Autin continued his hot night with a triple and two free throws  to give Huntingdon a five-point lead by the 14:53 mark.
• Back-to-back three pointers from DaQuan Hawkins extended Huntingdon's lead to 50-43, with points from Johns, Autin, and Isaiah Matthews keeping the Hawks lead in tact with 10 minutes remaining.
• A 6-0 run from the Stormy Petrels cut Huntingdon's lead to 58-56 inside the final five minutes of the game
• At the 3:49 mark, BJ Brown drilled what many would've thought to be the dagger, but Oglethorpe managed to claw back, tying the score at 65 with a minute and a half remaining
• Martise Jackson knocked down a clutch jumper on the ensuing possession to reclaim the lead for the Hawks, and BJ Brown sank two free throws in the final five seconds to give Huntingdon the 69-65 victory

Key Takeaways

• Neither team found any momentum on the offensive end, as each team shot below 40% from the field, 20% from three, and 60% from the free throw line
• Huntingdon's defense caused mayhem for Oglethorpe's offensive attack, as the Hawks forced 23 turnovers while only committing 11 of their own
• Led by Jeremy Autin, Huntingdon's bench contributed 37 points, while Oglethorpe's only provided 15

Hawk Top Performers

• #32 Jeremy Autin- 17 points, 14 rebounds, three steals in his first career double-double
• #4 BJ Brown- 15 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists
• #3 Nate Johns- 13 points, 5 rebounds

The Hawks return to action on November 15th, facing off with Welch College for their first home game of the season. Gametime is scheduled for 7:00 PM CT.