BRISTOL, Tenn. — 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: Shorter 55, King 58


SUMMARY:

In a closely contested Conference Carolinas basketball showdown, the Shorter University Hawks fell just short of a victory against the King (TN) Tornados, culminating in a 58-55 loss on January 20th at the Student Center Complex in Bristol, TN. Despite a fierce comeback in the second half, the Hawks couldn't clinch the win, moving their season record to 11-3, with a 6-2 in conference play.

The first quarter started fast for the Hawks as they took a 7-3 lead early in the game. The Hawks went on a scoring drought and allowed the Tornados to take an 11-9 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Hawks scored their final points of the quarter at the 3:47 mark, with a layup from Tori Smiley.

The second quarter started with a bang. Derrica McCall made an open three, spurring the Hawks' offense and defense. The Hawks went on a 10-2 run which required a timeout by King to calm down their momentum (SU 19 – KU 13). Following the timeout, the Hawks allowed King to respond with their own 9-0 run (SU 19 – KU 22). The final two minutes saw each team trade baskets as the Hawks went to halftime down 23 – 28.

The third quarter opened with the Hawks putting pressure on the Tornados and scoring 5 straight points to cut the lead to 1. The Tornados turned the ball over 4 consecutive possessions to start the half. The Hawks lost some of the defensive intensity and allowed the lead to grow to 8 points before ultimately cutting it down to the 5-point margin they saw at halftime.

The fourth quarter was very mundane, until the last minute of the game. While down five points the Hawks missed 3-pointer was rebounded by Tiara Lewis. She was fouled on her attempted putback. Reacting to the foul, King University was called for a technical foul. This foul resulted in the ejection of a Tornado starter (5 personal fouls), four free-throw attempts for the Hawks, and possession of the ball on the sideline. Tiara Lewis split the pair of free-throws and Derrica McCall followed her to the line to shoot the technical foul free-throws. She split her attempts as well. The Hawks took control of the ball on the sideline down 3 with 39 seconds remaining in the game. Ultimately the Hawks came up short on a 3-point attempt and were unsuccessful in mounting a comeback victory.


NOTEWORTHY:

· Derrica McCall led the Hawks with 19 points

· Tiara Lewis contributed a solid 15 points and 9 rebounds

· Tori Smiley chipped in 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals

· The Hawks shot 77% from the free-throw line (17/22)

· The Hawks defense forced 20 turnovers
 

INSIDE THE MATCHUP

Final: Shorter 55, King 58

SUMMARY:

In a closely contested Conference Carolinas basketball showdown, the Shorter University Hawks fell just short of a victory against the King (TN) Tornados, culminating in a 58-55 loss on January 20th at the Student Center Complex in Bristol, TN. Despite a fierce comeback in the second half, the Hawks couldn't clinch the win, moving their season record to 11-3, with a 6-2 in conference play.

The first quarter started fast for the Hawks as they took a 7-3 lead early in the game. The Hawks went on a scoring drought and allowed the Tornados to take an 11-9 lead into the 2nd quarter. The Hawks scored their final points of the quarter at the 3:47 mark, with a layup from Tori Smiley.

The second quarter started with a bang. Derrica McCall made an open three, spurring the Hawks' offense and defense. The Hawks went on a 10-2 run which required a timeout by King to calm down their momentum (SU 19 – KU 13). Following the timeout, the Hawks allowed King to respond with their own 9-0 run (SU 19 – KU 22). The final two minutes saw each team trade baskets as the Hawks went to halftime down 23 – 28.

The third quarter opened with the Hawks putting pressure on the Tornados and scoring 5 straight points to cut the lead to 1. The Tornados turned the ball over 4 consecutive possessions to start the half. The Hawks lost some of the defensive intensity and allowed the lead to grow to 8 points before ultimately cutting it down to the 5-point margin they saw at halftime.

The fourth quarter was very mundane, until the last minute of the game. While down five points the Hawks missed 3-pointer was rebounded by Tiara Lewis. She was fouled on her attempted putback. Reacting to the foul, King University was called for a technical foul. This foul resulted in the ejection of a Tornado starter (5 personal fouls), four free-throw attempts for the Hawks, and possession of the ball on the sideline. Tiara Lewis split the pair of free-throws and Derrica McCall followed her to the line to shoot the technical foul free-throws. She split her attempts as well. The Hawks took control of the ball on the sideline down 3 with 39 seconds remaining in the game. Ultimately the Hawks came up short on a 3-point attempt and were unsuccessful in mounting a comeback victory.

NOTEWORTHY:

· Derrica McCall led the Hawks with 19 points

· Tiara Lewis contributed a solid 15 points and 9 rebounds

· Tori Smiley chipped in 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals

· The Hawks shot 77% from the free-throw line (17/22)

· The Hawks defense forced 20 turnovers

WORDS FROM THE HAWKS:

"Last night we didn't shoot the ball well [or] have our normal intensity. King came out aggressive and we didn't respond. We've got to make some adjustments because we have two more games this week. Learning from this loss is important" – Head Coach LaSheena Brooks


ON THE HORIZON:

Hawks are looking to regroup and address their challenges as they prepare for their upcoming game against Erskine scheduled for January 22nd at WKC.