Hawks Season Comes To A Close At Belhaven

JACKSON, Miss.- Traveling to Belhaven University as the #6 seed in the Collegiate Conference of the South tournament, Huntingdon women's basketball came up short in their matchup with the Blazers, falling 81-73 to the #3 seed.

First Quarter

• The two teams found themselved deadlocked in the early stages of the game, with offensive momentum tough to come by. The Blazers utilized a 5-0 run to establish a 9-4 lead by the 3:36 mark
• Belhaven continued to extend their lead as the quarter came to a close, matching Huntingdon baskets with shots of their own to hold a 16-8 lead heading into the second quarter

Second Quarter

• Cassidy Campbell started the second quarter on fire, hitting back-to-back triples to spark a 7-0 Huntingdon run that put the Hawks down 16-15 by the 8:15 mark
• Briana McGruder and Makayla Ford each put in baskets to keep pace, but Belhaven continued to match on the other end of the floor. Huntingdon was finally able to even things up again at 22 with 6:25 remaining until halftime following Campbell's third triple of the night.
• Kinstin Davis drilled her first three-pointer of the night just 1 minute later to give the Hawks a slight 25-24 lead. Huntingdon's lead proved to be short-lived however, with a 6-0 Blazer run putting Belhaven back in front, 30-25, with three minutes until halftime
• Ford followed consecutive baskets from Davis and Charity Shaw with her first triple of the night to even things at 32 heading into halftime

Third Quarter

• Battling as the second half got underway, baskets from McGruder and Destiny Grider put the Hawks ahead 38-36 by the 8:36 mark
• Throughout the duration of the quarter, the two teams traded blows inside the painted area, cashing in on shots near the rim to counter baskets on the other end. Belhaven pieced together a 7-2 run to extend their lead to 58-49 with 23 seconds remaining in the quarter before Cassidy Campbell's fourth shot from deep on the game brought the score to 58-52 entering the fourth

Fourth Quarter

• The Blazers continued to distance themselves as the fourth quarter began, utilizing a 10-2 run through the first 3 and a half minutes to extend their lead to 68-54
• McGruder, Davis, and Foote led the Hawks as they continued to battle, piecing together a run to cut Belhaven's lead to 69-63 with 2:51 remaining
• As the game drew near, the Blazers made the most of their opportunities at the free throw line, doing just enough to hold off the Hawks and take a 81-73 victory.

Hawk Top Performers

• #35 Briana McGruder- 22 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
• #20 Cassidy Campbell- 14 points, 4/5 from three
• #4 Kinstin Davis- 10 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists

This loss has brought an end to the Hawks 2024-2025 campaign. Stay tuned for news to come of their 2025-2026 season.