Huntingdon falls on last-second basket in conference opener

LOOKOUT MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The Huntingdon men's basketball team lost to Covenant College 79-77 on Saturday in the Hawks' conference opener.

In a game with just one lead change, Huntingdon led for almost the entire game and did not trail until the final 34 seconds. Down 77-75, with less than 25 seconds to play, Huntingdon's James Harris tied the game on a jumper, but Covenant answered with the game-winning basket with four seconds to play.

Harris and Ceaunte Zachery combined for 32 points and seven assists to lead the Hawks. Harris finished with 16 points and four assists and Zachery had 16 points and three assists. Caleb Toney had 11 points and three assists, Damien Madison added 11 points and Charvez' Hobson pulled down a game-high eight rebounds.

Huntingdon controlled the first half, shooting almost 61-percent from the field (17-for-28). The Hawks jumped out to a 10-2 lead in the first four minutes, took a 10-point lead midway through the half and built their biggest lead of the game, 44-28, with 2:04 left in the first half.

After carrying a 48-35 lead into halftime, the Hawks led 52-38 less than two minutes into the second half. That's when Covenant began to cut into the Hawks' lead. The Scots, who shot 68-percent from the field (17-for-25) in the second half, used a 16-5 run to pull within three points in the first seven minutes of the second half.

The Scots tied the game 63-63 with 10:54 to play. From there, neither team would lead by more than two points.

Records: Huntingdon (2-5, 0-1 USA South); Covenant (5-2, 2-0 USA South)

Coming Up: Huntingdon hosts Piedmont at 3 p.m. on Dec. 14.