Hot Shooting Sparks Second Half Runaway From MUW

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Coming off a narrow victory over the Pensacola Christian Eagles, Huntingdon men's basketball returned to Roland Arena for a dual with the Owls of The Mississippi University For Women. The Hawks held a 35-25 advantage at the halftime break, but closed the game with a field goal percentage of 50% in the second half to claim an 83-55 victory and move to 7-0 on the season.

First Half

• Following an MUW basket to open the game, Jaylen Washington set the tone for the afternoon with a deep three to put Huntingdon in front. A layup from Tate Goolesby at the 18:16 mark pushed the Hawks lead to 5-2 before MUW converted on the other end to make the score 5-4
• Following a Martise Jackson layup, MUW cashed in on a shot from deep to tie the game at 7 by the 16:43 mark
• BJ Brown found room around the rim at the 16 minute mark, converting a layup through traffic to spark a 9-1 Huntingdon run that spanned across the next minute and a half, pushing Huntingdon's lead to 16-8
• The Owls would score to momentarily stop the bleeding, but Rayquan Taylor threw down a slam at the 13:19 mark, kicking off another Huntingdon run that brought the score to 25-12 by the 7:45 mark
• With Huntingdon in front 28-18 at the 5:54 mark, the two teams entered into a two and a half minute long scoring hiatus. A putback dunk from Nate Johns at the 3:17 mark broke the ice before another basket from Johns made the score 32-20 with three minutes remaining in the half
• The Owls followed another Jaylen Washington triple with another basket to make the score 35-25 entering halftime

Second Half

• Coming out of the locker room, the two teams traded baskets through the opening minutes. The Hawks held a 37-27 lead at the 18:48 mark before Jeremy Autin, BJ Brown, and Jaylen Washington all made consecutive layups to push the advantage to 43-27 by the 15:29 mark
• Back-to-back layups from Brown gave Huntingdon a 50-29 advantage before a MUW jumper on the following possession brought the deficit within 20
• Continuing to trade baskets, DaQuan Hawkins eventually caught fire from range, hitting back-to-back triples, extending the Hawks lead to 63-36 by the 8:15 mark
• Over the next three minutes, MUW opened up a 10-4 run before RayQuan Taylor's jumper stopped the bleeding. By the 4 minute mark, Huntingdon remained firmly in control 71-48
• As the game drew near, the Hawks continued to pour it on, with consecutive three-pointers from Richie Hicks putting a stamp on the 83-55 victory.

Key Notes

• The Hawks were hot all night, shooting 46% from the field while MUW held a percentage of 37%
• Huntingdon outrebounded MUW 38-28
• Huntingdon's defense swarmed MUW's offensive attack, forcing 18 turnovers 

Hawk Top Performers

• #4 BJ Brown- 19 points, 8 assists, 3 steals
• #11 Martise Jackson- 4 points, 7 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
• #3 Nate Johns- 10 points, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

The Hawks return to action on December 16th, traveling to face Lyon College. Tipoff is set for 12:00 PM CT.