Box Score Huntingdon College came into Friday afternoon's match-up with Maryville College boasting a 76.4 points-per-game average, but a stingy Scots' defense allowed just 45 points in cruising to a 68-45 victory inside Boydson Baird Gymnasium.
The Orange and Garnet's zone held Huntingdon to just a 31.5-percent effort (17-of-54) from the floor, as Maryville capitalized on 24 points on 24 Hawk turnovers.
"The crazy thing is I think we can be better than what we were today," Head Coach Raul Placeres said after the game. "I think we had some breakdowns early in our zone where we allowed a couple threes, but I'm extremely proud of our team. I told them that if you can combine 10 to 12 steals and blocks combined in a game, you're usually doing pretty good. We had 13 steals and six blocks today. I thought we were extremely active, and we communicated pretty well."
Maryville boasted a trio of double-digit scorers, as Kevin Chong led the way with 17. Myles Rasnick's defensive efforts edged him near a triple-double, as he added 10 points, seven rebounds and seven steals in the USA South victory – the Scots' third consecutive win.
Both teams came out of the gate sluggish, as nearly three minutes ticked away before the game's first bucket – a D Bohling jumper with 17:14 left in the first half.
A Rasnick pull-up and a Nicholas Clifton trey gave MC an early 5-4 lead, before the Scots made it 11-4 on back-to-back 3-pointers by Chong.
JR Sander's long-range bucket made it 18-9 with 10:32 remaining, before both teams went quiet for 5:32.
The Hawks nipped away at MC's lead, cutting it to 28-21 at the break.
"What this team is starting to figure out in this young season, is that the starts to the games aren't as important," Placeres said. "We didn't start out good, but we started the second half very well. It's just a really good effort to hold a team like that to 45 points."
Maryville's second-half flurry opened the flood gates, as the Scots outscored Huntingdon, 14-0 over the first 6:08. Rasnick, Chong and Felix Uadiale led the scoring efforts, as MC's defensive front held Huntingdon to an 0-for-8 effort from the floor over that span with five turnovers and a block allowed.
The Scots led 42-21 at the 13:52 mark, as MC wouldn't look back. Maryville extended its lead to as many as 28, 61-33, before taking a 68-45 victory.
Maryville is now 4-1 on the young season, each of those wins coming in conference play.
"I think we're happy," Placeres said. "We're working hard, to if we have a conference tournament like we're planning, to hopefully be one of top teams at the end of this and compete for a conference championship. We're really focusing – as cliché as it sounds – on getting better at each practice, each shoot around, each film session and in each game. Growth, growth, growth with this young team. This is still an extremely young team that we're coaching. Every game is a new experience, but we're really proud of the guys today for their effort and taking pride in the defense."
Maryville (4-1) was paced by Chong's 17, as he added six rebounds, three steals and an assist. The guard went 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, as Sanders matched that effort with 13 points of his own. Rasnick neared a triple double, adding three assists and a block.
Clifton added seven points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal, while Uadiale had six points and a game-high 12 rebounds and two blocks. Kordell Kah and Daryl Rice added five points each, while Brandon Jones added three, and Jekobe Coleman, two.
The Scots shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the floor, as they added nine treys at a 40.9-percent effort. MC outrebounded Huntingdon, 43-36, adding 13 offensive boards.
Huntingdon (1-5, 1-2 USA South) saw 13 Hawks in the scoring column, as Willie Taylor led the way with seven. Sam Page and Caleb Toney added six each, as Toney led the Hawks on the boards with nine.
Maryville will return to action tomorrow, Saturday, Jan. 30, as the Scots face off with the Hawks at 3:00 p.m. Full coverage of live stats and video will be available.
