Hawks Fall Short Against North Greenville

MURFREESBORO - After a tightly played second half, the Hawks mounted a late comeback attempt against North Greenville University but fell just short of gaining a win at the Helms Center this afternoon. The Crusaders edged the Hawks 64-62 for their sixth win of the season while Chowan falls to 4-12 overall.

AJ O'Banion notched a 23 point game to lead all scorers while also getting nine reounds. The junior was 11-14 from the free throw line in the game. O'Banion played on both ends of the court today, blocking six shots and getting four steals. O'Banion's efforts in the final minutes of the game helped to cut into the Crusader's lead. O'Banion put back a missed shot with 1:05 to play in the game to bring the Hawks within striking distance of the Crusaders at 59-62. After a foul by the Crusader's on their next possession, O'Banion hit 1-2 from the foul line to pull within two points of a tie.

NGU's Nikki Wood found a cutting Whitney Smith who beat two Chowan defenders for a lay up and a 64-60 lead over the Hawks on their next possession. Over the next two possessions for Chowan O'Banion and Najah Harris each hit one foul shot to make the score 62-64 with :15 ticks on the clock. The Hawks were forced to foul sending NGU's Jacquetta Golden to the line. O'Banion grabbed the defensive board and found Harris who led the Hawks down the court for a final attempt at the game with :12 to play. Ransheda Jennings drove the lane but her late second effort fell just short of forcing an overtime period.

Taylor Hughes came off the bench to score seven points and grab a game-high 10 rebounds while Brittany Nicholson chipped in eight points. Harris ended the game with seven rebounds and five assists.

The Hawks hit 33% of their shots tonight and committed a season-low 12 turnovers. The Hawks' defense forced 24 Crusader turnovers in which they converted 16 total points.

For NGU, Amanda Milner had 17 points and seven rebound to lead her team.

Chowan will host Morris College on Thursday night, January 15th, in their next outing.

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