Hawks Escape Pensacola With Overtime Victory Over The Eagles

PENSACOLA, Fla.- Facing off with their second NCCAA opponent in as many days, Huntingdon Men's Basketball followed up on their home victory yesterday with a dramatic 89-88 overtime victory in tonight's contest at Pensacola Christian against the Eagles.

First Half

Tonight's matchup proved to be a back-and-forth game from the onset, as neither team could stake an advantage through the first five minutes with the score remaining even at 12-12. The Eagles followed up on a 4 point Huntingdon swing with 10-0 run of their own, securing a 22-16 lead approaching the 9:44 mark in the half. Jeremy Autin and Myles Murphy each cashed in on jumpshots to cut into the lead, but Pensacola Christian remained solid, growing their advantage to 29-20 with 7:13 to go. Over the course of the next four minutes, the Hawks caught fire from deep, as Owen LaRocca connected on four consecutive triples to put Huntingdon in front 35-33 with 2:45 remaining until halftime. Coming down the stretch towards halftime however, the Eagles outscored Huntingdon 5-2 to take a 38-37 lead into the break. 

Second Half

The second half mirrored the first as play resumed, with the two teams exchanging blows offensively as they battled for momentum. Owen LaRocca kept his hot hand however, hitting on his fifth three of the game at the 13 minute mark to flip the script, putting Huntingdon ahead 54-52. The lead proved to be short-lived however, as the Eagles followed with a triple of their own to reclaim the advantage. The Hawks kept fighting however, as Keyshawn Dickey cashed in on a layup through traffic before LaRocca's sixth shot from deep restored the Huntingdon lead 59-57 with 11 minutes to go in regulation. The tale of the second half certainly was lead changes and ties, with 16 being shared between the squads. Everytime one side scored, the other matched, trading stops as well as the game came down to the wire. Huntingdon's Tyler Mallory found success late, hitting a jumper before assisting another Myles Murphy layup to guide an effort that saw the Hawks stake a five point advantage, 71-66, with 4:24 to go following Dickey's three from the right corner. By the 3:13 mark however, the Eagles had managed to tie things up yet again, 71-71, before taking a 72-71 lead at the 2:39 mark with a free throw. Keeping with the theme of the contest, Dickey hit from the stripe as well with 2:14 to even things back up. Chaos ensued in the final minute, as Pensacola Christian scored on a layup to take a 74-72 lead with 37 seconds remaining before forcing a Huntingdon turnover with 15 seconds to go. When things appeared bleak however, senior Marcus Townsend stepped to the challenge, following the Eagles steal with one of his own immediately after before hitting the game-tying layup with 10 seconds left to force overtime. 

Overtime

With 40 minutes not being enough to decide tonight's winner, the Hawks got off to a solid start in overtime with Tyler Mallory drilling a shot from 35 feet out on the first possession to put Huntingdon ahead 77-74. Keyshawn Dickey followed up with a triple of his own at the 3:18 mark to bring the Huntingdon lead to 80-76, but the Eagles refused to go away, tying things at 80 with 1:45 to go. Mallory and Townsend each followed with clutch baskets to keep the lead, 85-81, at the 58 second mark. Pensacola Christian hit on a layup to cut the deficit to one, but Andersen Madyun followed with his only two points of the night at the line to bring the lead back to three, 89-86. Inside the final 10 seconds, the Eagles got a look at a triple, and Huntingdon fould, giving Pensacola Christian a chance to force a second overtime with 2.2 seconds to go. After sinking the first two free throws, the third went in-and-out, and the Hawks escaped with a one point win. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #14 Owen LaRocca- 18 points, 6/8 from three, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
• #2 Marcus Townsend- 15 points, 9 rebounds, 2 steals
• #24 Tyler Mallory- 19 points, 6 assists, 3 steals
• #10 Myles Murphy- 17 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals

The Hawks will look to build on their two game winning streak Monday, November 24th, as they travel to the University of West Alabama for an exhibition match. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM CT.