Loss to 16th-ranked Emory ends Lady Hawks NCAA Tournament run

ATLANTA – The Huntingdon Lady Hawks knew the challenge awaiting them on Saturday in the second round of the NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament.

Facing 16th-ranked Emory, the Lady Hawks didn't have an answer in an 88-62 loss.

"We knew Emory was good and we knew we would need to play our best game of the season today," Huntingdon head coach Buzz Phillips said. "It didn't go our way today, but I'm proud of these girls and the season we had. We reached a lot of goals and accomplished things that this program has never done before. This group has raised the bar for our program and raised the expectations for the future."

Huntingdon ends the season with a 19-10 record. The 19 wins are the most in the 15-year history of the program. This weekend marked the first NCAA Tournament appearance for the Lady Hawks. Friday's 84-67 win over 24th-ranked Ferrum was just the second head-to-head postseason victory for any Huntingdon program since joining the NCAA.

Saturday's loss snapped a seven-game winning streak for Huntingdon and was just the second loss in the last 16 games.

Huntingdon matched Emory (24-3) during the first seven minutes of the game. The Lady Hawks only trailed 15-14 with 13 minutes left in the first half, but Emory used a 30-3 run during the next nine minutes to take control of the game.

Raven Prater scored 15 points to lead Huntingdon. Katie Martin added 12 points and Patricia Pickens followed with 10 points and six rebounds.