Hawks Go Cold Against Centre

SEWANEE, Tenn.- Returning to action after the Christmas holiday, Huntingdon women's basketball hit the road for a non-conference, neutral site matchup against the Centre Colonels at The University of the South. In a matchup that featured six ties and 12 lead changes, a cold night from three for the Hawks would result in a 63-50 loss to the Colonels.

First Quarter

• Both teams came out of the gates firing, trading baskets on the opening possessions of the game, but would struggle to collect any momentum beyond that point. Layups from Briana Stuckey and Makayla Ford reinforced Huntingdon's lead however, pushing the Hawks out in front 10-4 by the 2:46 mark
• Huntingdon's defense stifled the Colonels in the opening period, limiting them to just 9 points as the second quarter got underway. Baskets from Stuckey, Lauryn Lyn, and Kinstin Davis brought the score at the end of the quarter to 16-9

Second Quarter

• Briana McGruder's layup on the opening possession of the quarter pushed Huntingdon's lead to 18-9, but Centre pieced together a 7-0 run over the next two minutes to cut the Hawks lead to 18-16 before tying the game at 18 by the 6:15 mark
• Charity Shaw managed to stop the bleeding and reclaim Huntingdon's lead on the following possession with a layup, but Centre continued to battle, going on another run to lead 24-20 with three minutes left in the half
• Briana Stuckey's jumper at the 1:36 mark stopped the Centre run, and brought the score to 24-22, but the Hawks would go scoreless as the quarter ended, facing a 29-22 deficit entering halftime

Third Quarter

• Huntingdon started the second half hot from the field, seeing contributions from Deshauna Foote, Briana Stuckey, Kinstin Davis, and Briana McGruder as the Hawks evened the score at 31 by the 6:59 mark
• Trading baskets and stops over the next couple of possessions, Destiny Grider's layup at the 4:51 mark briefly reclaimed Huntingdon's lead 35-34
• The Colonels responded with an 11-0 run to close the quarter, bringing the score to 45-35 entering the final period

Fourth Quarter

• Three layups from Briana McGruder to kick off the quarter cut Centre's lead to 48-43 with 5:48 remaining in regulation
• A 6-0 Colonel run on the other end pushed Centre's lead to 54-43 with 4:31 to go, and the Hawks couldn't piece together a comeback, falling 63-50

Key Notes

• The Hawks couldn't get it going from behind the arc, shooting 0-15 on three point attempts
• Huntingdon was outrebounded 49-32
• The Hawks were strong defensively, forcing 17 turnovers on 11 steals

Hawk Top Performers

• #35 Briana McGruder- 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 blocks
• #10 Briana Stuckey- 12 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals

The Hawks look to bounce back tomorrow, December 30th, facing the Sewanee Tigers. Tip-off is set for 2:00 PM CT.