SEWANEE, Tenn. (Jan. 30) -- After a nip and tuck first half that saw four ties and seven lead changes, Hendrix College managed to stretch the gap with a hot hand from distance after the break. The Warriors went 8-of-11 from 3-point land in the second half to earn an 80-65 victory over Sewanee-The University of the South on Friday evening at the Fowler Center.
It was a tale of two halves for both teams as the Tigers kept it close with a 7-of-14 performance from behind the arc in the first half, including five 3-pointers in the first 10 minutes. The Warriors fell behind early but never let their deficit slip past six points (21-15, 10:05) thanks to a strong presence inside the paint.
The six-point margin was the tipping point for the Warriors as they went on an 18-5 run over the next seven minutes to earn the final lead change of the game and a 33-26 advantage with 3:12 left in the half. The Tigers closed the half on a 7-2 stretch highlighted by a last-second layup from sophomore Dana Middleton. Hendrix held a slim lead at intermission, 35-33.
Sewanee tied the game twice in the opening minutes of the second half until Hendrix started finding success from behind the arc. After a pair of free throws tied the game at 38-38 with 17:58 to go, Hendrix poured in five trey-bombs over the next six minutes to lead 59-46 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
The Warriors would lead by at least 12 points the rest of the way and eventually grabbed a game-high 21 point advantage with 3:51 left on the clock.
Hendrix senior Christina Byler's 21 points was just one point shy of her season-high mark. She was 9-of-16 from the field and 3-of-8 from distance. Byler also snagged eight rebounds. Junior Katy Ashley-Pauley added 17 points on four 3-pointers, while first year Jamie Tate matched her career-high of 15 rebounds. Ashley-Pauley and junior Avery Roller dished out a game-best five assists apiece. Tate and Roller also tallied eight points apiece. The Warriors nearly doubled the Tigers' rebound total, 49-26.
Middleton and junior Logan Miller led Sewanee with 18 points, while junior Claire Elliot collected 16 points. Middleton and Miller led the Tigers with four steals each. The Tigers snatched 14 steals and out-scored the Warriors 18-12 in points off turnovers.
Hendrix stretches its win streak to six games against Sewanee and now stands at 23-8 all-time against the Tigers. The Warriors will look for their longest win streak of the season on Sunday when they travel to Atlanta, Ga. to take on Oglethorpe University at 1 p.m. ET.
For more information on Hendrix Athletics please visit www.hendrixwarriors.com or contact Brian Rejer, Sports Information Director, at (501) 450-1426. Also, be sure to follow the Warriors on Twitter by checking out @Warrior_SID.
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