Jaguars Outshoot Lady Hawks in the 67-56 GSAC Loss
MONTGOMERY, Ala. --- Huntingdon College's women's basketball team dropped a critical Great South Athletic Conference match, 67-56, to Spelman College on Tuesday evening in Roland Arena.
Junior LaTerial Williams paced the Lady Hawks (9-15, 4-9 GSAC) with 16 points in the conference loss to Spelman. Junior Whitney Toole followed with a double-double, 13 points and 13 rebounds, while senior Chalise Hopkins also recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards in the loss.
Spelman (8-14, 5-9 GSAC) outshot Huntingdon 40.7 percent (22-of-54) to 29.4 percent (20-of-68) in the conference win. Despite the loss, Huntingdon held a 48-47 advantage on the glass while leading the Jaguars 17-8 on second chance points.
Williams led a struggling Lady Hawks' offense with 11 points in the first period. Huntingdon was 0-for-6 beyond the three point arc, while Spelman hit 44.4 percent (4-of-9) in the first half. The Jaguars also outscored the Lady Hawks 12-0 from bench points.
Spelman opened the game with five consecutive points holding the Lady Hawks scoreless until the 15:47 mark. Senior Ashton Salter's layup started Huntingdon's 6-0 run before taking a one point lead. A pair of free throws by Spelman's Shanda Kennedy regained their second lead of the half, 7-6.
The Jaguars scored 10 straight points, 15-6, before Toole's jumper in the paint put a halt in the scoreless streak for Huntingdon. The Lady Hawks continued to struggle scoring in the first half (30.8 percent), while the Jaguars shot 44.4 percent from the field in the opening period.
Spelman's sophomore Tiana Welch nailed a 3-pointer giving the Jaguars a 10 point lead, 24-14, with 5:30 remaining. The Jaguars added to the margin up 33-19 with under two minutes to play. LaTerial Williams scored four straight cutting the Jaguars intermission lead to 10 points, 33-23.
In the second half, Huntingdon cut the margin to 36-30 by outscoring the Jaguars 7-3 in the first three minutes. Spelman's Shereva Lewis' 3-pointer extended their lead to nine points, before Toole's layup trimmed the Jaguars advantage down to 39-32.
The Jaguars continued hitting 3-pointers converting on two straight to go up 45-32 with 13:00 left. Senior Chalise Hopkins' layup with 8:14 remaining cut the Jaguars margin below double digits, 50-41, for the first time since 14:56 in the second period.
Huntingdon trimmed the Jaguars lead to six, 55-49, after senior LaTarial Williams' 3-pointer followed by, sister, LaTerial Williams' layup in the paint. After trailing by eight points with under one minute remaining, the Lady Hawks cut the deficit to five points but Spelman held on with a 67-56 victory.
Spelman was led by Kennedy and Welch each with a game-high 17 points.
The Lady Hawks travel to Demorest, Ga. on Saturday, Feb. 19, taking on conference opponent, Piedmont College, for their final game of the regular season. Tip of is set for 1 p.m. Central. Listen live to the game at http://www.wconfm.com/wconlive.htm.
Hodge Patterson
Sports Information Director
Phone: (334) 833-4579
sid@huntingdon.edu