Lady Pirates Suffer First MEAC Loss
Daytona Beach, Fla. - Hampton suffered its first MEAC loss of the season on Saturday, as Bethune-Cookman came from behind for a 55-51 win at Moore Gymnasium.
The loss snapped Hampton's four-game winning streak.
Junior forward Melanie Warner sank a pair of free throws with 5:02 to play to give the Lady Pirates (12-6, 5-1 MEAC) a 49-39 lead, but Bethune-Cookman closed the game on a 16-2 run, taking a 53-51 lead with 28 seconds left on a Jasmine Daniels 3-point play.
Daniels would hit a pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to ice the game.
In the last 5:02, Hampton went 2-5 from the free throw line and 0-for-6 from the floor. The Lady Pirates' last field goal came with 11:26 to play, on a 3-pointer from junior guard Jericka Jenkins to give Hampton a 45-28 lead.
Freshman guard Nicole Hamilton led the Lady Pirates with 17 points, while Warner added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds. The Lady Pirates shot 32.6 percent (15-for-46) from the floor, 6-for-22 (27.3 percent) in the second half.
Hampton also made just 14 of 25 free throws.
Bethune-Cookman (9-8, 3-3 MEAC) shot 46.0 percent (23-for-50) from the floor, including a 14-for-25 (56.0 percent) clip in the second half. The Lady Wildcats also out-rebounded Hampton 35-29 and held a 34-12 advantage in points in the paint.
Jasmine Elum led Bethune-Cookman with 17 points, while Daniels added 11 points.
For complete story visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.b-cuathletics.com
Spartans End Four Game Losing Streak with Win Over N.C. Central
Norfolk, Va. - Led by a career-high 21 points by freshman Rae Corbo, Norfolk State ended a four-game losing streak with a 66-55 win over North Carolina Central Saturday afternoon at Joseph Echols Hall.
The Spartans got solid performances from several key players to improve to 7-8 overall on the season. The Eagles fell to 2-16.
Along with Corbo's highlight performance on 8-of-14 shooting, sophomore Batavia Owens tallied 11 points and seven boards in just 14 minutes of action. Sophomore Marian Brooks and freshman Rachel Gordon each posted six points and eight rebounds on the day.
NSU shot 50 percent in the second half after owning a five-point lead at the half, as the Spartans hit 45.8 percent for the game on 23-of-53 shooting. Central had a respectable 43.4 percent shooting clip for the game (27-of-59). NSU held a 36-32 edge in rebounding and also had 13 assists and 13 steals.
Jori Nwachukwu led the Eagles with 20 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocks. Chasidy Williams added 15 points, as only five players for NC Central got in the scoring column. The Eagles scored 46 of their 55 points in the paint.
Junior Whitney Long posted nine points, four steals and three assists for the Spartans. NSU was also 9-of-13 from the free throw line and held the Eagles to an 0-of-3 effort from beyond the arc.
For complete story visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.nccueaglepride.com
Aggies Avenge Loss to South Carolina State
Greensboro, N.C. - Sophomore Jaquayla Berry had a career game, and the North Carolina A&T women's basketball team was able to avenge its first-round 2010 MEAC Tournament loss with a 94-71 win over S.C. State Saturday afternoon at Corbett Sports Center.
Berry finished with 31 points, 10 steals, seven assists and six rebounds on 13-for-17 shooting from the floor. Jaleesa Sams added 13 points and nine rebounds.
It was the eighth-seeded Bulldogs who upset the Aggies in the tournament last season, becoming the first No. 8 seed to beat a No. 1 seed in the history of the women's tournament.
Berry and 16 second-half S.C. State turnovers aided the Lady Aggies over the final 20 minutes. A Tiara Knotts 3-pointer cut the Aggies lead to 46-43 with 16:23 remaining. N.C. A&T outscored the Bulldogs 19-4 over the next five minutes to take control of the game. The Bulldogs turned the ball over six times during that stretch.
For complete story visit www.ncataggies.com or www.scsuathletics.com
Morton Scores Career-High as UMES Tops Coppin State, 66-56
Princess Anne, Md. - Casey Morton scored a career-high 26 points, including 17 in the second half, as Maryland Eastern Shore defeated Coppin State, 66-56, in MEAC action at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center Saturday.
Morton shot 7-for-12 from the floor and added five rebounds and three steals for UMES (6-12, 3-2 MEAC), which won its third consecutive game in conference play and third straight over Coppin State (5-11, 2-3). The loss for the Eagles, who were led by Shawntae Payne with 10 points, snapped a three-game winning streak.
Morton was also 6-for-7 from 3-point range and hit all six of her free throws to set the career high. She matched her prior mark of 24 twice this season in games against American on Jan. 2 and Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 17.
The game had very little flow throughout and featured a combined 46 turnovers and 41 fouls.
UMES led 9-8 with 12:03 left in the first half on a Bria Jackson fast break layup assisted by Courtney Braxton before Coppin State went on an 11-0 run, ignited by a Crystal Whittington layup with 11 minutes to go, to take a 19-9 lead. Jaleah Holsey led the way in the stretch with five points of her seven points in the game.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Lady Hornets Drop Third Straight Game
Dover, Del. - Delaware State shot just 27.1% from the floor in a 51-44 loss to Morgan State in a MEAC women's basketball contest in Memorial Hall Saturday.
The Lady Hornets dropped their third straight game to fall to 5-12 overall and 1-4 in the MEAC. The Lady Bears improved to 10-7 and 4-1.
Jamesia Smith and Theresa Davis led Morgan State with 14 points each, while Mahala Thomas added 10 for the Bears. Davis also led MSU with nine rebounds.
Kianna Conner was high scorer for Delaware State with 14 points. Brittany Washington came off the bench to tally eight points and a team-high nine rebounds for the Lady Hornets.
For complete story visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.morganstatebears.com
Florida A&M - 80, Howard - 75 Recap to follow