CINCINNATI, Ohio – Second half woes sank the Panthers as they fell to Mt. St. Joseph in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action 82-74. Hanover moves to 5-5 overall on the season and 2-3 in conference play.
 
The Panthers were led by three players in double figures paced by sophomore Addie Gardner (Anderson, Ind.) with a team-high 21 points. Sophomore Skylar Sahatjian (Prospect, Ky.) added 17 points with seven assists, while freshman Katherine Benter (Brownstown, Ind.) netted 14 points.
 
Hanover came storming into the contest as back-to-back three-pointers by Sahatjian and sophomore Kiara Crabtree (Franklin, Ind.) sent HC to the convincing 12-4 advantage. They continued to run past the Lions closing out the first quarter on an 11-2 run to capture the 25-12 lead.
 
The hot streak carried into the second quarter as they netted eight straight points capped off by a Benter three-pointer at the 8:44 mark, 33-12.  The Panther defense fed the offense as they forced a turnover with just under five minutes remaining that resulted in another Panther deep ball. Hanover outscored MSJ in the frame for the 43-27 halftime lead.
 
However, Mt. St. Joseph went to work in the second half as they used a series of runs to flip the script en route to the 55-54 advantage. They carried the momentum into the final stanza as they secured their largest lead of the evening at the midway point en route to the HCAC victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Saturday, January 8 when they travel to Earlham. Tip-off is slated for 3:00 PM.