MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Spring Hill College fell behind by 15 at halftime and was unable to bounce back, falling at Auburn-Montgomery, 72-58, Sunday afternoon at the AUM Athletics Complex.
Spring Hill (2-4) held an 11-10 lead after a pair of
Justin Allison free throws with 13:50 to go in the first half, but AUM (4-2) ripped off a 14-2 run over the next 2:59 to build a 24-13 lead with 10:51 remaining before halftime. Tre Hansbrough did most of the heavy lifting for the Warhawks, scoring eight points during the burst.
The Badgers, who have dropped two straight games, got within eight points at 24-16 following a three-pointer by
Andrew Dotson with 10:11 left in the half, but AUM scored the next six points to go back up 30-16 with 8:43 showing on the clock and the Warhawks led by as many as 15 before taking a 41-26 lead into the locker room at halftime.
AUM made 16 of its 38 shots (42.1 percent) in the first half, led by Hansbrough's 11 points, while Spring Hill was limited to 26.5 percent shooting (9-for-34) overall and 18.8 percent (3-for-16) from behind the three-point line. Allison led the Badgers with seven points and
Jeffery Pharr added six for Spring Hill.
The Badgers did try to cut into the AUM lead early in the second half, trimming the deficit to 10 points at 43-33 after an Allison layup with 16:34 to go. Spring Hill kept chipping away and got within four at 55-51 after a
David Daniels layup with 7:10 remaining, but six straight points by the Warhawks re-established a 10-point advantage for AUM.
The Badgers made one last run and a free throw by Daniels got Spring Hill back to within 63-56 with 3:43 left, but AUM's defense stiffened and the Warhawks made 5-of-8 free throws in the final 1:46 to close the game with a 9-2 run and pull away for their third win in a row.
Allison led Spring Hill with 17 points, four rebounds, four steals and three assists.
Christian Brandt also reached double figures with 10 points and five rebounds and
Ryan Littel and Pharr pitched in eight points and five rebounds apiece for the Badgers. Spring Hill was 20-for-70 (28.6 percent) overall and 5-for-26 (19.2 percent) from behind the 3-point line in the loss.
Hansbrough had 17 points, four rebounds and three assists to pace the Warhawks. Carlos Bell had 15 points and seven rebounds and Aaron Reddick chipped in 11 points and eight rebounds for AUM.
Spring Hill concludes its three-game road swing Wednesday at NCAA Division I member Nicholls State. Tipoff in Thibodaux, La., is set for 7 p.m. The Badgers return home on Dec. 8, when they take on the University of Mobile Rams. The rematch of a 74-73 Spring Hill win from Nov. 17 will tip off at 4 p.m. at the Arthur R. Outlaw Recreation Center.
