Big second quarter sparks Hawks in win over Piedmont

MONTGOMERY, Ala.  – The Huntingdon women's basketball team used a big second quarter to take the lead and held off a late rally to beat Piedmont 65-55 on Saturday.

The Hawks outscored Piedmont 19-7 in the second quarter, built a 21-point lead in the third quarter and led by double digits for 16 of the final 23 minutes.

Shaonica Thomas led Huntingdon with a game-high 23 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Alina Shoemake added 11 points and seven rebounds and Indya Lawrence had nine points and three assists. Alexis Osteen and Ry Whetstone each had five steals.

Trailing 12-9 late in the first quarter, Huntingdon closed the first half in dominant fashion. Beginning with a free throw and then a layup by Shoemake in the final minute of the first quarter, the Hawks went on a 31-7 run that stretched into a 40-19 lead in the third quarter.

The Hawks took the lead for good on a basket by Kassidy Crawford in the first minute of the second quarter, went ahead 24-15 on a basket by Osteen midway through the quarter and led 31-19 at halftime.

Huntingdon opened the third quarter with a 3-pointer by Crawford, two baskets by Thomas and a steal and a layup by Lawrence to make it a 21-point game with 8:01 left in the quarter. Huntingdon led 49-38 entering the fourth quarter.

In the final quarter, Piedmont made a push and cut into the Hawks' lead, pulling within five points twice in the final three minutes. Huntingdon answered each time.

Leading 57-52 with 1:45 to play, the Hawks scored eight straight points to seal the win. Lawrence scored five of the final eight points, including hitting 3-of-4 free throws, to build a 65-52 lead with nine seconds remaining before Piedmont made a 3 at the buzzer.

Records: Huntingdon (2-6, 2-0 USA South); Piedmont (6-4, 3-1 USA South)

Coming Up: Huntingdon hosts Maryville on Sunday at 1 p.m.