Hawks Taken Down At Welch

GALLATIN, Tenn.- Following up on their emphatic win at home over Pensacola Christian, Huntingdon Men's Basketball hit the road to kick off the Welch College Classic, splitting the season series with the Flames 1-1 following a 87-72 loss tonight.

First Half

Baskets were at a premium for Huntingdon in the first half, as the Hawks finished the first 20 minutes shooting 27% from the field and 8% from the three point line. Neither team could find their footing as the game got underway, as it took nearly five minutes before either side could get on the board. That said, Welch struck first at the 15:30 mark, opening up 13-2 run for the flames over the course of the next three minutes. Trailing 24-13 with 8 minutes remaining in the half, the Hawks saw an offensive uptick as half drew near, with baskets from Tyler Mallory and Myles Johnson bringing Huntingdon within six, 24-18 approaching the final six minutes of play. The Flames answered however, extending their lead back to double-digits inside the final two minutes to bring the Huntingdon halftime deficit to 38-26 at the break. 

Second Half

As the second half got underway, the Hawks started to find their stride offensively. Led by Mallory and Marcus Townsend, Huntingdon managed to shrink the gap back to single digits, 41-33, by the 17:18 mark, but Welch continued to remain in control, pushing their advantage to as much as 67-42 with 9:47 left to play. Owen LaRocca, Myles Johnson, and Townsend each contributed to a 7-2 Huntingdon run that brought the score to 67-47 by the 8:36 mark, but again, Welch responded, bringing their lead back to 22, 79-57, with 5:31 remaining. Huntingdon hit the mark on several shots late, namely from Myles Murphy, but couldn't surmount a comeback, falling 87-72. The Flames were hot all night, shooting a blistering 54% from the field and 57% from three to cement their victory as they led from end-to-end. 

The Hawks return to action at the Welch Classic tomorrow, December 13th against Boyce in a neutral site matchup. Tip-off is set for 1:30 PM CT.