MARYVILLE, Tenn. – Maryville College answered an early-season loss in emphatic fashion Saturday afternoon, defeating Huntingdon 72–54 in CCS action at the Cooper Athletic Center.
The 18-point victory secured a regular-season split with the Hawks and kept the Scots firmly in the hunt in a tightly packed conference race.
Maryville came out with purpose from the opening tip. After building a strong early lead in the first meeting at Huntingdon before letting it slip away, sustaining intensity for four quarters was the focus this time around.
"When we played them there, we got off to a really good start and then kind of fizzled," Head Coach Darrin Travillian said. "Today it was about, could we sustain that for four quarters?"
The Scots built a double-digit advantage in the first half, but a second-quarter lull allowed Huntingdon to trim the margin to 14 — reminiscent of the earlier matchup. At halftime, Travillian challenged his team to turn the defensive pressure back up and prevent the game from settling into a half-court battle.
"We tried to keep it from getting deep into the post and keep the game going up and down because I think that's to our advantage," Travillian said.
Maryville responded in the third quarter, tightening defensively and forcing turnovers that fueled transition opportunities. The Scots finished the game forcing 24 turnovers, converting those into key scoring chances and regaining full control of the tempo.
A major catalyst was senior captain Ella Haney, who delivered one of her most efficient performances of the season. Haney started the game a perfect 9-for-9 from the field, including 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and finished with 18 points and nine rebounds.
"She's our senior captain, our senior leader," Travillian said. "There's something about when that calendar flips to February and it's like, this is it. She's been particularly good here late for us and just been a killer at the end of shot clocks, making big plays."
Maryville executed exceptionally well in late-clock situations throughout the second half, pounding the ball inside where it had a size advantage and knocking down timely shots to prevent any Huntingdon comeback attempt.
Emily Wilson added 14 points, Ella Tharpe scored 12 with seven rebounds, and Kadence Stoner chipped in 11 as four Scots reached double figures. Maryville shot 44.8 percent from the floor while limiting Huntingdon to 32.8 percent shooting.
The Scots also controlled the glass, outrebounding the Hawks 44–33 and grabbing 14 offensive boards — a key emphasis entering the game.
"That was right on par with what we talked about," Travillian said. "We wanted to turn them over 20-plus times, and we knew we had to go climb the boards and try to get ourselves up around 15, 16, 17 offensive rebounds."
The win keeps Maryville firmly in the middle of a crowded CCS race.
"If you're paying attention right now, it is really jumbled," Travillian said. "This keeps us in that 2-3-4 hunt. We got the split with them, which was important. Now you just try to go 1-0 every day and let everybody else play, and we'll see how it shakes out."
With the postseason picture beginning to take shape, the Scots are building momentum at the right time.
By the Numbers
-
72 – Points scored by Maryville.
-
44.8% – Shooting percentage for the Scots.
-
24 – Huntingdon turnovers forced.
-
44–33 – Rebounding advantage for Maryville.
-
14 – Offensive rebounds for the Scots.
-
4 – Scots in double figures.
-
9-for-9 – Ella Haney's start from the field.
