Huntingdon women’s basketball advances to GSAC finals

MONTGOMERY, Ala. – The Huntingdon women's basketball team scored 63 points in the first half and cruised to a 97-65 win over Spelman in the Great South Athletic Conference tournament semifinals on Saturday.

The Lady Hawks (16-9) will play Salem (17-10) for the GSAC title at Roland Arena on Sunday at 1 p.m. Both teams are looking for their first GSAC title. The winner will earn a berth in the NCAA Division III tournament.

"We split with Salem this season. They beat us pretty good at their place and we beat them here," Huntingdon head coach Buzz Phillips said. "With a berth in the NCAA tournament at stake, Sunday is going to come down to which team wants it more. We've never been and they've never been, so it should be an intense game."

Salem beat Huntingdon 70-49 in early January and the Lady Hawks beat Salem 76-61 in early February.

Against Spelman, the Lady Hawks shot 71.9 percent from the field in the first half and took a 63-34 lead into halftime.

Patricia Pickens led Huntingdon with 19 points and six rebounds in 20 minutes of playing time. Freshman Alyson Burke hit 4-of-4 from 3-point range and finished with 15 points.

Devin Douglas added 14 points and five steals and Katie Martin finished with 10 points and seven rebounds. Tanjanik Munford had a team-high 12 rebounds and Jodie Thomas pulled down eight rebounds.