Austin College Earns Dominant Win Over Hendrix

SHERMAN, Texas - Tasshir Pina-Warren scored a game-high 18 points and Austin College dominated the paint to earn its first Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference win of the season, rolling past Hendrix College 82-52 on Wednesday night in Hughey Gym.

The 'Roos (4-12, 1-6 SCAC) took control immediately, opening the game on a 13-0 run capped by a layup from Kidus Getenet at the 16:24 mark. Austin College shot 52.3% from the field and overwhelmed Hendrix inside, outscoring the Warriors 52-16 in the paint and winning the rebounding battle 50-28.

Austin College exploded in the first half, putting the game out of reach early with a stifling defense and transition offense. Leading 15-5, the 'Roos launched an extended 33-7 run over a 10-minute span. A layup by Peyton Gonzales gave Austin College its largest lead of the half at 48-12 with 4:28 remaining before the break and the 'Roos took a comfortable 53-28 advantage into halftime.

Jordan Hudgins and Jamien June both flirted with triple-doubles for Austin College, with Hudgins scoring six points and adding game-highs of 10 rebounds and eight assists, while June stuffed the stat sheet as well, tallying 14 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists. Hendrix (1-15, 1-6 SCAC) struggled to find an offensive rhythm outside of Jaxon Herreral, who led the Warriors with 18 points on efficient 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. However, the rest of the team was held in check, shooting just 35.2% from the floor combined.

The Warriors attempted to chip away early in the second half, cutting the deficit to 22 points on a Herrera three-pointer at the 1:04 mark of the first and another bucket early in the second. However, Austin College maintained a lead of at least 20 points for the entire second half, extending the margin back to 33 points at 68-35 following a Hudgins layup with 10:40 left to play.

Other key contributors for Austin College included Getenet and Ryan Dupre, who each scored 10 points. For Hendrix, Kyle Roach added nine points and Rowdy Robinson chipped in six points and seven rebounds. Austin College dominated the hustle stats, recording 20 points off turnovers compared to 12 for Hendrix, and notching 20 fast-break points.