Women's Basketball 3/11/2008 4:00:00 AM MEAC Media Relations

Reid Leads SC State To Win Over Bethune-Cookman

Marie Reid scored 13 of her game-high 25 points in the second half and the defense held Bethune-Cookman scoreless for almost 10 minutes of the second half as South Carolina State rolled to a 66-45 win over the Lady Wildcats in the first round of the MEAC women’s game at the RBC Center. The Lady Bulldogs (13-16), Number 7 seed, advance to the Wednesday’s quarterfinal round where they will take on the Number 2 seed, Coppin State at 12:30 pm.

A 6-4 sophomore transfer from Memphis, Reid connected on 6 of her nine shots in the second half, many coming low post moves on the block, to help SC State, extend its four-point halftime lead to 53-35 at the 9:30 mark.

Bethune-Cookman (6-24) suddenly went cold during a stretch of 9:42, missing several shots. The Lady Wildcats missed 27 of their 32 attempts after intermission, including 0 for 11 from three-point land.

Reid got plenty of support from junior forward Janell Moore, who recorded a double-double of 15 points and 12 rebounds as SC State dominated their shorter opponents, 53-36 on the glass.

“During the season, we struggled in the second half,” said Moore, who hit on 6-of-9 from the field. “We knew that we had to step it up because it is now tournament time. We played two halves and we did a better job in the second half on closing out on their shooters. We also made a strong effort to rebound better as a team.”

Bethune-Cookman, the number 10 seed, appeared in good shape near the end of the first half when it closed a seven-point deficit and tied the game at 33-all with less than two minutes remaining in the half. Then came what could have been the turning point of the game. With Reid on the bench with two fouls, Moore scored back-to-back baskets in a 30-second span to give her team a 37-33 lead, but more importantly momentum for the second half.

“We played as well as we could have being without two of our key players,” said Bethune-Cookman Coach Francis Simmons. “SC State was 12 for 12 in free throws and that kept them in the game. If you look at the balance, we had trouble matching up with their post players.” The Lady Wildcats were without the services of guard Keturah Newkirk, one of the top three-point shooters in the country, who did not play.

Bethune-Cookman did a good job of getting back in the game near the end of the first half,” said SC State Coach Tanya Mackey. “We had some breakdowns. We called a timeout. We had to make some adjustments because Marie and Janell each had two fouls. Those two quick baskets help us going into the half.”

Traci Fountain led her team with 10 points, but she failed to score in the final 20 minutes. Reid added 11 rebounds for a double-double to her resume.

The Lady Bulldogs played Coppin State only once during the season and dropped a 65-51 decision on February 9 in Baltimore, MD.

“Coppin State is a tough team, their name speaks for itself,” observed Coach Mackey. “(Rashida) Suber and (Shalamar) Oakley are very tough guards on the perimeter and Coach (Derek) Brown’s inside people have improved. We will have to do some things different from the last time we played them.”