BRONXVILLE, N.Y.- The Hunter College women's basketball team mounted a furious second-half rally behind a dominant performance from
Alexa Charles but ultimately fell to Sarah Lawrence, 83–76, on Wednesday night on the road.
After trailing by as many as 17 points and facing a 45–31 deficit at halftime, the Hawks (5–3) caught fire in the third quarter. Charles sparked the comeback with a 3-pointer at the 4:26 mark that helped turn an 11-point hole into a Hunter lead by the end of the period. Moments later, she came up with a steal and pull-up jumper to cut the margin to six.
With 2:30 left in the third, Gianna Henriques swatted a layup attempt, leading to a transition 3-pointer from Makkedah Murray to tie the game at 55–55. On the next defensive stand, Murray grabbed a steal and pushed the ball ahead to Mia Fuller for a fast-break layup, giving the Hawks their first lead of the night. Charles and Fuller then knocked down four clutch free throws in the final minute of the quarter to send Hunter into the fourth with a 63–59 advantage.
Despite the end-to-end efforts of Charles and Henriques, the Hawks could not overcome their early shooting struggles or recapture their third-quarter rhythm. Hunter shot just 4-for-22 from the field in the fourth, while the Gryphons (4–4) responded with timely baskets and closed out the game at the line. For the night, Hunter finished at 33.3 percent from the floor and 23.3 percent from 3-point range, while Sarah Lawrence shot 55.7 percent overall and 71.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Charles turned in her second-best scoring night of the season, pouring in 39 points while matching her career best with four 3-pointers. She added eight steals, five rebounds and three assists, and was perfect at the free-throw line, going 9-for-9.
Henriques posted a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds to go with four blocks. Murray contributed on both ends with nine points, a career-best six steals, four rebounds and two assists. Fuller finished with six points and a team-high six assists as she settled into the offensive flow, while Ali Drake provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and three steals.
Hunter managed to keep pace on the glass, as Sarah Lawrence held only a slight 42–39 edge in rebounds. The Hawks also capitalized at the stripe, converting 82.6 percent of their free throws (19-for-23), while the Gryphons struggled at 52.6 percent (10-for-19).
The Hawks look to add another mark in the win column as they open City University of New York Athletic Conference play against cross-town rival Baruch in Hunter's annual homecoming game on Dec. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in the Sportsplex.
