Hawk Men’s Basketball Defeats Western Texas in Second Half Showdown

Howard College Men's Hoops ended Thursday evening with a big victory over Western Texas after new life found in the second half led to a 72-55 final over the Westerners. 

The first half saw WTC come out swinging, leading 30-23 at the half. A comeback from the Hawks overtook the Westerners after a big offensive wave, ending in 49-25 second half for Howard College, totaling a 72-55 final over Western Texas.

"WTC came out and jumped on us early. It was great to see how our guys responded to some adversity", stated Head Coach Kyle Cooper.

Terry Copeland had another big performance with 22 points on the evening. Copeland was 9-13 from the field, 1-2 from the three and 3-6 from the line. #15 for the Hawks totaled seven rebounds to lead the pack. 

"I thought we did extremely well and really showed a lot of resilience, especially coming out playing not how we usually do. We stuck together and made it happen", commented Copeland. 

Kuai Deng and Brandon Ivery were also big offensive forces for the red and black with 14 points each. 

Deng was 5-9 from the field, 3-4 from the line and tacked on a three-pointer as well, with five rebounds. 

Ivery led the team in steals with three on the evening. #11 for the Hawks went 6-8 from the field and perfect from the line, with three rebounds and three assists. 

"I thought the second half we really turned up our intensity on the defensive end and did a good job of attacking the paint on offense'', commented Cooper. 

Collectively, the red and black finished out the night at 51.9% from the field, 35% from the three and 68.8% from the line with five steals. 

Next up for Howard College Men's Basketball is a Monday evening meeting at home against Odessa College at 7:30 p.m.