Howard Rallies From 15-Point Deficit To Defeats Holy Cross
Zykia Brown scored the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation and Howard rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat Holy Cross in overtime, 87-80 in the consolation game of the Hawk Holiday Classic presented by Staybridge Suites and Hotels.
The Lady Bison trailed by 15 with 10:09 remaining in the second half before a Brown layup spurred a 10-0 HU run over the next six minutes, trimming the lead to five with under four minutes left in regulation.
Meredith Ward hit a trey for Holy Cross to push the Crusader advantage to eight with 3:58 remaining, but Howard chipped away at the lead on a pair of baskets by Saadia Doyle and a long 3-ball by Tamoria Holmes.
Holy Cross led by one with 17 seconds left but a Whitney Fremeau layup gave the Crusaders a three-point advantage with under 10 seconds remaining in regulation.
Down by three with six seconds left, Brown took a few dribbles and drained a 3-pointer with: 01 left to even the score at 72-72 and send the game to overtime.
The extra frame was all Howard and Howard opened up a 10-point lead with under a minute left. Cheyenne Curley-Payne's free-throw with 49 seconds remaining capped an 11-3 Bison run and Howard never relinquished the lead for the seven-point come from behind win.
For the complete, visit www.howard-bision.com
Tribe Fulfill Quest To Stop Lady Hornets
Despite a game comeback by the Lady Hornets in the second half, the William and Mary Tribe would walk out of Memorial Hall with a hard fought 55-47 victory over Delaware State on Wednesday evening.
The loss would spoil an excellent defensive effort from DSU (1-11), who forced 29 Tribe turnovers including 14 steals as a team. But the inability to convert those turnovers into points would be the difference, as DSU would only shoot 18-68 (26.5%) as a team on the evening.
The first half saw the Hornets hold the lead with 8 minutes remaining before intermission, but a 16-3 run by William and Mary would start the separation. The Tribe (7-4) would pull away behind the play of freshman forward Emily Correal, who had 13 of her 15 points in the first half points on 4-6 shooting, including 2-2 from beyond the arc. William and Mary also made DSU work at the opposite end, holding the Hornets to just 7-30 from the floor. Junior point guard Cortney Crockett was the standout for DSU with eight points and two steals in the opening stanza.
A second half 7-0 run by the Tribe to put the margin at 44-30 appeared to put the final distance between the sides. However the Hornets would mount a furious run to cut the lead to 53-47 with 1:00 remaining, but would be unable to come any closer being forced to foul to stop the clock. Selena Galloway would lead all Hornet scorers with a game high 10 points, and also notched a career high seven rebounds.
For the complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com
Lady Hawks Fall To Georgia State In Title Tilt, 76-49
The Maryland Eastern Shore Lady Hawks struggled on the offensive end and were upended by the Georgia State Panthers, 76-49, in the championship game of the 16th annual Georgia State Invitational.
Senior April McBride scored a team-high 12 points and was selected to the GSU Invitational All-Tournament Team. During the two-game tournament, McBride scored 37 points and grabbed 18 rebounds for the Lady Hawks, who dropped to 2-5 with the loss. Georgia State improved to 9-2 with the win.
The first half was closely contested until a late push by the Panthers. Shaneva Hayward grabbed a rebound and scored with 6:25 left in the half to trim the deficit to 19-15. The Panthers proceeded to end the first half on a 12-5 run to build a 30-21 halftime advantage. Two 3-pointers by Traci Haltiwanger and Brittany Graham triggered the late spurt.
The Panthers carried the momentum from the end of the first half into the beginning of the second stanza. On the first possession, Brittany Young buried a three to give the Panthers a 14-point lead. They extended the lead to 39-22 at the 17-minute mark courtesy of an 8-2 run to start the second. The Lady Hawks never got closer than 15 points from that point forward.
For the complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com
Lady Rattlers Edge Alabama State, 61-59
Christian Rateree hit a jumper with six seconds left in the game to give Florida A&M a 61-59 win over Alabama State, Wednesday evening at the Alabama State University Acadome.
FAMU (7-3) had three Lady Rattlers to score in double-figures with Rateree leading all scorers with 20 points. Qiana Donald finished with 15 points, while Danielle Anderson added 12. Donald led FAMU on the boards with nine rebounds, while Anderson led the team in blocked shots with four.
The Lady Rattlers took an early 10-5 lead on a Christian Rateree basket with 14:01 remaining in the first half.
A basket by ASU's Quortni Fambro would cut FAMU's lead to 14-13 with 9:10 to go.
Qiana Donald would score the Lady Rattlers next six points on a layup and four free throws giving FAMU a 20-15 lead with 7:54 remaining.
FAMU would close out the first half with a 16-6 run to take a 36-21 lead at the break.
The Lady Rattlers finished the first half shooting (14-of-31) 45.2 percent, while ASU shot (7-of-34) 20.6 percent.
For the complete story, visit www.famurattlersports.com
LaCombe Helps McNeese State Down Norfolk State 68-55
Candace LaCombe scored a game-high 18 points, 15 in the second half, to help the McNeese State women's basketball team to a 68-55 victory over Norfolk State on Wednesday night at Burton Arena.
LaCombe was 5-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-12 from 3-point range, and 3-of-4 from the free-throw line. She added five rebounds, five assists and four steals in 32 minutes of play.
NSU (2-7) got on the board first with a 3-pointer by Whitney Long (Raleigh, N.C.) with 19 minutes left in the first half. The Spartans went up 7-0 after another basket by Long. Kendra Wells scored the first points for McNeese State (4-8) on a layup with 15:03 left.
Things were close in the second half all the way to the end. The Spartans got within four, 53-49, after a three-point play by Genor Dalton with 4:57 left in the game. But the Cowgirls outscored the Spartans 15-6 the rest of the way to seal the win.
For the complete story, visit www.nsuspartans.com
Lady Eagles Soar To 84-54 Victory Over South Carolina State
Five student-athletes finished in double-figures to lead the North Carolina Central Lady Eagles (2-10) to a dominating, 84-54, victory over the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (4-7) Wednesday evening in McDougald-McLendon Gym.
NCCU put on their best performance of the season, topping their previous outing against South Carolina State just 29 days ago. The Lady Eagles closed out 2009 with a controlling 30-point victory over the Lady Bulldogs, their largest margin of victory since becoming a division one program. This victory marks their second of the season.
The Lady Eagles' 84-point performance is their best scoring performance of the year and their second highest scoring outing since Dec. 8, 2007, where they scored 95 points against Fayetteville State. NCCU has now won 36 of their 45 home contests since the start of the 2005-06 campaign.
Freshman Joanna Miller led the Lady Eagles in scoring for the ninth time this season with a game-high 23 points. She earned 10 of her 23 points from the charity stripe, while going 6-for-16 from the field. She was also an impact on the boards and on defense with eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.
For the complete story, visit www.scsuathletics.com
North Carolina A&T Rallies Past Missouri at Kansas City, 71-64
Amber Calvin and senior Tu'wuana Cook tallied another stellar game for the North Carolina A&T women's basketball team as the Lady Aggies defeated the University of Missouri at Kansas City, 71-64, Wednesday night in the Cyclone Classic played at Iowa State's Hilton Coliseum.
Cook finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and three assists. Calvin added 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and is averaging 13.0 points in her last four games. Lamona Smalley finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
Cook cut the Roos lead to one at 62-61 with 2:40 remaining. Freshman Nikia Gorham put the Lady Aggies up for good when Jaleesa Sams found her open underneath for a layup.
For the complete story, visit www.ncataggies.com
Lady Rams Struggle in 84-54 Loss at Campbell
Winston-Salem State (2-9) closed out 2009 on a down note, taking an 84-54 loss to the Campbell Camels (6-4), Wednesday afternoon. Though the Lady Rams ended the night with a tough loss, the game was an historic one for the team as WSSU junior guard Rene Rector shot her way into the school record books.
She wasted little time getting their as she tied the school record with her 113th career three-pointer at the 16:14 mark in the first half and broke the record with a three-pointer at the 6:09 mark in the second half. For her career, Rector has connected on 115 three-pointers, breaking the previous record of 113, held by former Lady Ram guard Latoya Armstrong. Rector is the second Lady Ram to break the school record in three-pointers made under WSSU head coach Dee Stokes.
Rector finished the game with 12 points to lead the Lady Rams while fellow junior guard Nikki Kee added 12 points as well. Freshman guard Shawanda Hanton continued her impressive play of late with seven points and a team game-high six rebounds in the game.
For the complete story, visit www.wssurams.com