2/19 Squirrels defeat another USA South #1. Take down the Captains of CNU

The Fighting Squirrels continue their fight up the standings of the USA South against the current #1 CNU Captains.  CNU comes into the contest with a 7 game winning streak and MBC defeated Methodist, #1 at the time, and lost to Ferrum this weekend.

Baldwin came out and won the opening tip-off that led to a quick three by Christie Hamilton to open the contest.  Christie would hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 6 with 16:59 in the half. The Captains went on an 8-2 run to take a 14-8 lead. Jessica Carter would hit a three-pointer and a steal from Jennifer Dobson and a quick pass to Iiesha Ricks for the score, had the Squirrels only down by 1 at 13:04. Carter scored another three to tie the game at 16. The Squirrels would take their first lead since the opening minutes on a basket from Hamilton and build an 8 point lead in the closing minutes of the half. The score would be 32-26 going to the locker rooms in favor of MBC. The Squirrels shot 44% from the field, 4-5 3pt for 80%, and 6-6 from the line in the half.

#34 Kara Hawkins  would come to life in the second half and started it of with a quick basket. The Fighting Squirrels would build a 9 point lead and would regain it off of #3 Lindsay Callison’s side line jumper to regain the momentum.  The Captains would continue to chip away at the lead and Jessica Carter would hit another three to return the lead to 9 for the 3rd time. The Captains would start their sails, and work to shift the tides as they went on an 11-0 run and regained the lead 50-51 with 8:16 left to play in the contest. The Squirrels would start to claw their way inside for some inside baskets and the Captains Chelsie Schweers would start to hit from the outside. Kara Hawkins would convert a three point play to give MBC the lead 57-56. The Captains would score 5 unanswered to force a Baldwin time-out at 3:24. The sneaky Squirrels would throw a long pass for a quick 2, reminiscent of the same play used by the Captains the last time the two teams played, to cut the lead to 1 at 3:05. Solid defense from the Squirrels forced a turnover and got a steal from Kara Hawkins who converted for 2 points and another 1 point lead with 1:27 left. The Captains would have 2 opportunities to score before Baldwin regained possession. Off a shot-clock violation by Baldwin, the Captains pushed the ball to mid court and planned a final play. Chelsie Schweers had a chance to win it but the Squirrels prevailed with the final score 61-60

Jessica Carter had 19 points and 2-2 from the line. Kara Hawkins had 11 points.  Christie Hamilton had 13 points and Jennifer Dobson chipped in 8 points. The team had 32 rebounds, shot 42.3% from the field, 53.8 % from the 3-point arc and 91% from the charity stripe in the win. The squirrels are back in action Friday 2/22 at home. Tip-off is at 7pm and will be fan appreciation night. Come join us for snacks.

[Box Score]