by Connor Garrett for Berryvikings.com

ROME, Ga. -- Jeff Rogers' first win as Berry College's men's basketball coach will certainly be one to remember. The Vikings defeated Huntingdon, 79-76, and they played the final two minutes short-handed. 

The Vikings started the game with eight healthy players. Mac Whalen, AJ Lewis and Ron Jones were then disqualified which left BC with five. With 2:02 remaining, however, Douglas Cotter picked up his fifth foul, which gave the Vikes four players. Huntingdon trailed, 71-68, at that point.

"We actually have a drill where we practice a one-man disadvantage," said senior guard Hunter Smoak (12 points). "I think that helped us down the stretch."

With the one-man disadvantage, Berry scored eight points to HC's eight points. The Vikings made 8-8 free throws down the stretch to seal the win.

"Our guys did not panic," Rogers said. "You never want to be in that situation, but they were prepared. I'm proud of them."

The Vikings' aggressive play did result in creating 20 turnovers against the opposition. When Huntingdon applied tighter pressure on the perimeter it opened up the post where Owen Jacobs went to work, finishing with 18 points and 12 rebounds.

Berry went into halftime with an 11-point lead. The second half began and Huntingdon ran a full-court press against the Vikings in an attempt to disrupt the flow of their offense.

The Vikings held a double-digit lead until there were roughly 12 minutes left in the second half. Crucial to staving off Huntingdon was Owen Jacobs, who proved to be reliable in the post when the offense stalled.

Throughout the fourth quarter Berry guard Smoak hit key shots and clutch free throws to hold the lead. As time wound down with four Vikings on the court Smoak weaved through Huntingdon's defense to shave time off the clock.

Despite fouling out, Whalen scored a team-high 20 points for Berry. Lee McCloud added 14 for the home team.

Huntingdon (0-2) guard Dantavius Washington score 24 points and pulled in 12 rebounds. The Vikings as a team went 12-28 from three-point range. The Hawks led in rebounds, 51-40.

Berry (1-1) travels to play at Emory & Henry (Va.) next Saturday.