Dawson takes over late

Down by as many as 22 points, its guards struggling to get the ball to a McDonald's All-American on homecoming night, Lew Wallace (7-10) and Branden Dawson looked as if they were going to leave the Hornets' faithful disappointed.

Dawson didn't let his classmates leave unhappy as the senior willed the Hornets all the way back for a thrilling 94-85 Northwestern Conference victory over Roosevelt (4-10).

The 6-6 forward poured in 22 of his game-high 36 points in the second half to go along with 13 rebounds and three blocks. Michael Jenkins did all he could to keep the Panthers afloat as he finished with 34 points and three assists on 12-of-14 shooting, including eight 3-pointers.

Jenkins got the Panthers rolling early with 13 first-quarter points, helping them to a 33-21 lead after one quarter. The Panthers had two other players in double figures with Juan Mamon and James Holden both chipping in 14 points each.

While they shot 33-of-61 from the field in the game, the Hornets did some major damage from the free-throw line as they forced the Panthers into 26 free throws and connected on 20 with Dawson hitting on 14 of them.

Dawson ran off five straight points while trailing 73-67, pulling his Hornets to just a 73-72 deficit and getting the very vocal crowd back into the game.

The Hornets snagged their first lead of the game with 4:36 remaining in the fourth quarter when DeAndre Williams came up with a steal slashed to the basket laying it in for two and getting fouled giving the Hornets an 80-79 lead. Williams missed the free throw but did finish with 11 points, seven assists and five steals.

Martell Clark also played a major role in the Hornets' comeback, as the senior forward scored 13 of his 15 points in the second half and also grabbed nine rebounds.

After losing their lead, the Panthers tried to stick around but Jenkins, Mamon and Holden all fouled out late in the fourth quarter.

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