Hawks Drop Season Opener At Berry

ROME, Ga.- In the first match of their 2024-2025 season, Huntingdon women's basketball fell to the Vikings of Berry College 61-45 on the road.

How it happened

First Quarter

• Briana McGruder got the Hawks on the board for the first time both in the game and for the season with a layup less than a minute in.
• In response to McGruder's bucket, the Vikings opened up a 14-2 scoring run across the following six minutes to hold a 14-4 lead by the 3:34 mark in the quarter
• Kennedy-Ryan Jackson drilled a shot from deep in the minute and 30 seconds of the quarter to bring the score to 18-8 entering the second quarter.

Second Quarter

• To get the second quarter underway, a Charity Shaw layup on the Hawks opening possession cut the lead to single-digits at 18-10
• Berry knocked down a three-point shot at the 3:21 mark to extend their lead to 24-11, the biggest of the half
• Trailing 29-14, another triple, this time from Cassidy Campbell, brought the halftime score to 29-17.

Third Quarter

• Coming out of halftime battling, Briana McGruder scored the first four points of the half to bring Huntingdon within eight, 29-21, by the 8:16 mark
• A 5-0 Berry run pushed the Vikings back in front 33-22 with 6:20 remaining until the fourth quarter
• As the third quarter began to draw to a close, Kinstin Davis caught fire, scoring five of Huntingdon's eight points to make the score 40-30 heading into the final period

Fourth Quarter

• Trading points to open the final quarter, a Viking triple at the 7:20 mark grew Berry's lead to 47-34 by the 7:20 mark
• The Hawks fought until the buzzer sounded, with Kinstin Davis and Charity Shaw each finding the bottom of the net in the last two minutes, but ultimately the deficit would be too much and the Hawks would fall 61-45.

Key Takeaways

• Berry controlled the glass, outrebounding Huntingdon 45-34
• Neither team could find any rhythm behind the arc, with Huntingdon shooting 12.5% from three and Berry shooting 21.1%
• Huntingdon's brightest spots came from both inside the paint and off the bench, as the team outscored the Vikings in each of those categories.

The Hawks look to get in the win column tomorrow, November 9th at home as they face the Stormy Petrels of Oglethorpe University. Gametime is set for 4:00 PM CT.