MONTGOMERY, Ala. - The Birmingham-Southern men's basketball team opened up the 2021-22 season with a big 16-point victory over in-state rival Huntingdon College. The Panthers were powered by 2020-21 all-conference selection Christian Stewart who led the team with 14 points. 

The Panthers and Hawks both started slow combining for just 14 points in the opening four minutes of play. At the under-16 media timeout the teams were tied 7-7. After the timeout BSC went on an 11-4 run to take a 18-11 lead half way through the opening half. 

Birmingham-Southern would extend their lead by as much as eight points throughout the first half. As the opening period started to wind down the Hawks would get as close as four points by the end of the half. The Panthers took a 38-34 lead into halftime. 

Over the first nine minutes of the second half BSC went on a 15-5 run to take a 53-39 lead. Jay Gillispie and Christian Stewart played great in the second half helping the Panthers outscore the Hawks by 12 points in the second half. Gillispie went 3-for-4 shooting, recording six points and also grabbing three rebounds. Stewart 4-for-5 from the field scoring eight points, and recorded a steal and a block on the defensive side of the ball. 

The Panthers took the 14-point lead and would not look back. They would cruise their way to an 82-66 victory to open up their season. 

Records
Birmingham-Southern 1-0 Overall (0-0 SAA), Huntingdon 1-1 Overall (0-0 USA South)

News and notes
> Jay Gillispie recorded a career-high 11 points.
> Christian Stewart has scored in double-figures in 17 straight games. 
> The Panthers got half their points from players that came off the bench. 

Up next
The Panthers will play an exhibition game against Division I opponent Lipscomb University on Tuesday, Nov. 9 in Nashville, Tenn.