49 Point Second Half Hands Hawks Victory At Piedmont

DEMOREST, Ga.- Hitting the road for the first time in CCS play, Huntingdon Men's Basketball utilized a hot second half to secure a runaway victory over the Lions of Piedmont University, 96-74. Tyler Mallory led all scorers with 24 points while Andersen Madyun and Jeremy Autin eached chipped in 16 to fuel the Hawks offensive success. 

First Half

It was a hot start for Huntingdon, as four different Hawks(Tyler Mallory, Marcus Townsend, Andersen Madyun, and Myles Murphy) each found their way in the scoring column en route to an early 13-5 lead. Piedmont responded with a run of their own to cut the lead to two, 15-13, by the 14:54 mark, before tying things at 18 with 13:55 to go. Less than 30 seconds later, a Lions triple handed Piedmont their first lead of the night which grew to as much as 23-18, but a 9-2 run for Huntingdon featuring baskets from Townsend, Mallory, and Skyler Stovall quickly put the Hawks back ahead 27-25 nearing the 10 minute mark. Coming down the stretch of the first half, the two sides continued to trade baskets and stops, but a 5 point swing from Owen LaRocca and Madyun sparked a 10-4 run that pushed the advantage to 42-35 with five minutes remaining. The Lions answered yet again with a run to even things at 42 by the 3:53 mark, but late baskets from Madyun and Jeremy Autin brought the half to a close with the Hawks ahead by one, 47-46. 

Second Half

Huntingdon's hot second half got started early, namely through a 9-2 run through the opening three and a half minutes to extend their lead to 56-48 by the 16:30 mark. By the 15:12 mark, the lead hit double-digits following an Owen LaRocca triple that brought the score to 61-50. After trading baskets through the midway point in the half, Piedmont had managed to draw within seven, 70-63, with 9:31 remaining in regulation, but Huntingdon remained unphased. On the ensuing possession, a Marcus Townsend dunk sparked a 23-4 Hawks run that iced the game way. A Skyler Stovall three ball with 1:35 remaining put a cap on the emphatic Huntingdon conference victory on the road. 

Hawk Top Performers

• #24 Tyler Mallory- 24 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
• #42 Andersen Madyun- 16 points, 8 rebounds, 2 blocks
• #3 Jeremy Autin- 16 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist

The Hawks will look to keep rolling on Tuesday, January 13th at home against LaGrange. Tip-off is set for 7:00 PM CT.