MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Down eight late in the third quarter, Maryville Head Coach Darrin Travillian needed someone to step up and take control of the game. Junior Guard Ella Haney answered the call, lifting the Scots to an intense 56-48 victory.
"There were a couple of times today where my whole message at the breaks was, 'We have to have someone make some basketball plays for us," Travillian said.
"(Haney) stepped up and did that, on the offensive end with 29 points, and also defensively. Grabbing 12 boards was equally big because we had to limit their second-chance opportunities."
The Murfreesboro native had a career night at Huntingdon, totaling a double-double for the fourth time in her career (first of the season), scoring 29 points and grabbing 12 rebounds, along with three steals. "It was a great, great game for her".
"To be able to come back today and come out and play well defensively, it was great," Travillian noted. "The thing that hurt us Friday night was our lack of execution late, and so today to have really good fourth-quarter execution, it was good to watch the kids grow up a little bit."
Neither team had more than a four-point lead throughout the first half.
From 8:25 - 3:32, Huntingdon went on a 7-0 run to build their 8-point lead. The Scots fought back the final three minutes of the quarter, coming back to tie the game at 41 apiece. A competitive fourth quarter tested the will and grit of both teams.
"In that quarter, they opened up a 38-30 lead, so to be able to answer that run and execute our way through to get it tied up after three and then really do a good job of playing winning basketball in the fourth was nice to see."
Ella Tharpe was the second-leading scorer for Maryville on the night, scoring 12 in 32 minutes played. The rest of the team totaled 15 points, with eight coming off the bench.
MC held the Hawks to 30.2% shooting from the field in a game that was tightly contested not only in points but almost all other statistical categories. Both teams had similar numbers in rebounds, but the difference for Maryville came in points in the paint. The Scots tallied 34 points from inside the paint, while Huntingdon totaled only 18. Maryville also out-assisted their opponent 13-6.
Maryville, now 2-2 in conference play, is off until Jan. 24 when they will host Piedmont (9-5, 5-0). The Scots split last season's match ups against the Lions, winning the home match 74-58, and dropping the road contest 51-58.
