MONTGOMERY, Ala.—Led by senior Larry Thomas with 26 points, the Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team defeated in-state rival Huntingdon, 95-70, Tuesday evening in Montgomery, Ala.

The Panthers moved to 10-5, while the Hawks fell to 2-13.

Huntingdon jumped out to a big early lead, going up 11-2 by the 17:25 mark in what would be its largest lead of the game. BSC used a 12-0 run after that to pull ahead 14-11, and stayed just ahead of the Hawks until the 7:51 mark when Huntingdon pulled up 28-27. The Panthers responded quickly, though, hitting three straight three-pointers—two from junior Ross Welch—to go back ahead. Huntingdon was able to tie things up 36-36 at the 4:35 mark of the first half, which would be the closest the Hawks would come for the remainder of the game. BSC led 44-40 at the half, and then steadily increased the lead throughout the second half, going up by as much as 26, 86-60, with 5:13 remaining before winning by 25.

Thomas led all players with his 26 points, shooting 7-13 from the field and 6-10 from three-point range, as well as 6-6 from the free throw line. Sophomore James McLean scored 16 points off the bench, going 5-8 from the field and 4-6 from beyond the arc, and junior Alex Avery recorded 12 points on 6-8 shooting. Sophomore Evan Lewis also added 10 points off the bench on perfect 4-4 shooting. Avery led on the boards with six rebounds, and Welch, Lewis, and senior Mason Holle led with four assists each. Thomas led with three steals.

The Hawks out-rebounded the Panthers 39-27, but BSC committed only eight turnovers (second-lowest of the season so far), 10 less than the Hawks.

BSC returns home this weekend to resume Southern Athletic Association play, hosting Berry College on Friday at 8 p.m. and Oglethorpe on Sunday at 3 p.m.