The Hawks Swarm As Huntingdon Defeats Berry

MONTGOMERY, Ala.- Looking to avenge their season-opening loss, Huntingdon women's basketball(3-3 overall) defeated Berry College(6-2 overall) 68-58 at home. Throughout the night, Huntingdon's defense controlled the pace of the game, particularly in the second half, to take the victory and split the season series with the Vikings.

How it happened

First Quarter

• Berry opened the game on a 6-2 run, but consecutive baskets from Kinstin Davis and Briana Stuckey put the Hawks back in front 7-6 by the 6:57 mark
• Davis followed a Destiny Grider midrange shot with a triple to push Huntingdon's lead to 12-6
• The Vikings brought the score within two at the 4:08 mark, 12-10, but Makayla Ford and Charity Shaw managed to bring Huntingdon's lead back to six, 16-10
• A 6-0 Viking run to close the quarter evened the score at 16 entering the second quarter

Second Quarter

• Berry drilled a shot from deep to open the quarter, recapturing a 19-16 lead
• Kinstin Davis stayed hot for the Hawks, finishing through contact off an assist from Deshauna Foote to put the Hawks back in the lead 22-21 at the 7:47 mark
• Foote and Briana McGruder each folowed Davis with layups of their own to extend the Hawks lead to 27-21 less than a minute later at the 6:51 mark
• A 7-1 Viking run allowed for Berry to tie the score at 28 by the 3:39 mark before taking a 31-30 lead at the 2:49 mark
• As the half came to a close, Makayla Ford sank consecutive three pointers, which was enough to give Huntingdon a 36-34 halftime lead

Third Quarter

• Briana Stuckey put in back-to-back layups to get the second half underway and put Huntingdon in front 40-35 by the 7:13 mark
• Following a nearly 3 minute long scoring hiatus, a pair of Berry free throws brought the score to 40-37 by the 4:18 mark
• Kinstin Davis would carry Huntingdon's offense as the third quarter came to a close, scoring the team's final four points. Nonetheless, the Vikings managed to piece together a run that evened the score at 44 entering the final quarter

Fourth Quarter

• Led by Kennedy-Ryan Jackson, Charity Shaw, and Carltajah Jackson, the Hawks started the fourth quarter on a 6-0 run to hold a 50-44 advantage by the 8:13 mark
• Trading baskets over the next possessions, a Berry three-pointer trimmed the Hawks' lead to 54-51 entering the final five minutes
• Leading 59-56 with three minutes to go, the Hawks outscored the Vikings 9-2 in the final moments, with a Deshauna Foote free throw putting a stamp on Huntingdon's emphatic victory.

Key Notes

• The Hawks limited Berry to a 30% field goal percentage for the game, largely in part due to a second half that saw Huntingdon limit the Vikings to just 18% from the field
• Huntingdon controlled the glass, holding a 6-rebound advantage over the Vikings(43-37)
• The Hawks victory over Berry is the first in the NCAA era for the women's basketball program(5 competitions).

Hawk Top Performers

• #4 Kinstin Davis- 14 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists
• #10 Briana Stuckey- 7 points, 9 rebounds
• #33 Carltajah Jackson- 6 points, 9 rebounds
• #35 Briana McGruder- 11 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

The Hawks return to action on December 18th at home against MUW. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM CT.