CONWAY, Ark. (Feb. 12) -- Hendrix College senior Wyvonne Hawkins highlighted her Senior Day performance on a go-ahead basket with 44 seconds left, giving the Warriors their second-consecutive SCAC Western Division Title after a 59-55 win over Millsaps College on Saturday afternoon at Grove Gymnasium.
Hawkins poured in 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds to lead Hendrix (14-9, 10-4 SCAC) to its eighth straight win and seventh consecutive conference victory. She was 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line.
Hendrix owned the lead for the first 32 minutes but never led by more than 10 points and Millsaps (11-12, 7-7 SCAC) used an 8-0 run over a four minute span to take its first lead of the game with 7:33 left in regulation.
Hendrix went ice cold from the field and did not make a field goal from the 11:33 mark until first year Jamie Tate scored a layup with 1:21 to go. The Warriors went 4-for-4 from the line during that span, however, the Majors managed to score just 13 points and owned a 55-53 advantage after the cold streak was over. At one point during the stretch, neither team scored a point for four minutes.
Tate was fouled on her clutch layup and she knocked down the free throw to make it a one-point ballgame. Millsaps missed a jumper on the next possession and Hawkins made it hurt with the game-winning layup on the Warriors' next trip down the court. She cut across the lane and took a pass from junior Katy Ashley-Pauley on the block, then elevated through two defenders to score the basket.
Junior Samantha Devlin made a big defensive stand on Millsaps' next possession with a block and defensive rebound to force the Majors to foul with 18 seconds left. Devlin drained both free throws to seal the deal and send Hendrix to its second-straight SCAC Tournament as the No. 1 West seed.
Senior Christina Byler finished her final home game with eight points and five rebounds. Ashley-Pauley scored five points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists. Hawkins also made four assists on the day and Tate matched her career-high mark with 15 rebounds to lead Hendrix's 45 rebound effort.
Hendrix improves to 25-11 all-time against Millsaps and will not prepare for a road trip to Colorado College on Feb. 18 and then Austin College on Feb. 20 to close out the regular season. Millsaps is set to host the 2011 SCAC Tournament from Feb. 25-27 in Jackson, Miss.
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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