Hawks Survive Scare In Pensacola To Remain Perfect

PENSACOLA, Fla.- Continuing to build on the best start in program history, Huntingdon men's basketball(6-0 overall) put together an impressive offensive performance to hold off the Eagles of Pensacola Christian(5-8 overall), 93-89. Huntingdon saw three double-digit scoring performances, as BJ Brown guided the offense with 27 points, while Nate Johns followed with 20 and Keyshawn Dickey provided 13 off the bench.

First Half

• As mentioned before, Nate Johns got off to a fast start for the Hawks, scoring 4 of the team's first five points to anchor Huntingdon to a slight 5-4 advantage by the 17:35 mark
• After trading baskets and stops over the next few minutes on each end, the Eagles capitalized on an opportunity under the rim to take their first lead of the game, 12-11, with 12 minutes remaining until halftime
• Continuing to trade baskets as the half continued, points from Donovan Wilson, BJ Brown, and Myles Murphy helped solidify the Hawks lead, bringing the score to 29-23 by the 5 minute mark
• Three consecutive layups from Brown and Martise Jackson boosted a 12-2 Huntingdon run that put the Hawks ahead 35-25 with 3:15 remaining in the half
• An 8-0 run in favor of Pensacola Christian saw the Hawks lead be reduced to as little as 38-33 before Donovan Wilson's triple at the 1:56 mark stopped the bleeding and kept Huntingdon's lead at 8, 41-33
• Continuing the back-and-forth affair, an Eagle jumpshot at the buzzer brought the halftime score to 46-40, with the Hawks remaining in front.

Second Half

• Still going back-and-forth as the second half go underway, another BJ Brown layup pushed Huntingdon's lead back to double digits, 55-45 at the 16:36 mark
• An 8-0 Pensacola Christian run over the course of the next two minutes put the Eagles behind 55-53 with 14:18 remaining
• Jeremy Autin put in a layup at the 13:48 mark to stop the bleeding, making the score 57-53
• Consecutive baskets from Nate Johns extended the Hawks lead to 66-57 entering the final 11 minutes
• With Martise Jackson's layup at the 9:56 mark handing the Hawks a double-digit lead 73-62, the Hawks remained firmly in control of the game until a 5-0 Eagle run brought the score to 75-70 with 7 minutes to go
• Pensacola Christian continued to claw away at the Hawks' lead, bringing the score to as close as 80-79 before taking a 86-82 lead with two and a half minutes remaining
• Unphased, the senior duo of Johns and Tate Goolesby put together four unanswered points to even the score at 86 
• Stepping up to the plate, Keyshawn Dickey drilled a clutch free throw to give Huntingdon a 87-86 lead with 54 seconds remaining, but the Eagles would match it on the following possession to tie the game.
• With 35 seconds to go, Nate Johns caught a pass from BJ Brown, throwing down a thunderous slam to put Huntingdon in front 89-87. Four consecutive free throws from BJ Brown combined with stifiling defense on the other end allowed the Hawks to walk away with a 93-89 victory, surviving a scare from their NCCAA opponent.

Key Notes

• Huntingdon dominated the glass, outrebounding the Eagles 49-31
• Pensacola Christian shot the ball well all night, boasting a 49.3% field goal percentage compared to Huntingdon's 44.2%
• Both teams lived in the paint, with Huntingdon collecting 54 of their points inside the lane while Pensacola Christian totaled 62
• This dynamic matchup featured 7 ties and 10 lead changes

Hawk Top Performers

• #4 BJ Brown- 27 points, 9 assists, 2 rebounds
• #3 Nate Johns- 20 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists
• #20 Tate Goolesby- 5 points, 11 rebounds
• #5 Keyshawn Dickey- 13 points, 3 rebounds

The Hawks look forward to a home contest on Thursday, December 12th, as they host the Owls of MUW. Tipoff is set for 4:00 PM.