Scoring Droughts Doom NSU in 66-48 Loss to DSU
Delaware State 66, Norfolk State 48
Dover, Del. - A pair of extended shooting droughts in each half by the Norfolk State spelled doom in a 66-48 loss to Delaware State Monday evening at Memorial Hall.
The Spartans went scoreless for a combined 19 minutes, 18 seconds as they fell to 8-12 overall, 1-9 in the MEAC with their fourth straight loss, all on the road. The Hornets improved to 7-15, 3-7 with their second-straight win.
Junior Sarah Daily hit double digits for the fourth-straight game with 13 points, while freshman Rae Corbo also tallied 13 for the Spartans. Sophomore Marian Brooks added 10 points and seven boards, while sophomore Batavia Owens also posted seven rebounds.
Brittany Washington and Kianna Conner added 14 and 12 points, respectively for the Lady Hornets, while Washington also completed the double-double with10 rebounds. Kianna D'Oliveira stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, four blocks, three assists and two steals.
NSU held the Hornets to 36.4 percent shooting on 20-of-55, but the Spartans fared even worse, hitting 30.2 percent from the floor (16-of-53). That included a 23.1 percent first-half clip for NSU. After getting outrebounded by 16 boards in their previous game, the Spartans held a 41-38 advantage on the boards against DSU.
The Hornets, though, converted on their free throw attempts, hitting 23-of-30 for the game, including 13-of-16 in the second half.
Daily hit a pair of shots early on to get the Spartans going, and a 3-pointer by Corbo made it 7-5 - NSU three and a half minutes into the game. After Corbo hit several free throws, the Spartans went cold from the floor, failing to score a point for six minutes until Whitney Long sank a pair of free throws.
A layup by Brooks in the half was NSU's first basket in 10 minutes, 43 seconds as Delaware State pushed the lead to 10, 24-14 on an extended 12-4 run that lasted 10 minutes. After sitting out much of the first half with two fouls, Daily came in and connected from long range with 44 seconds to go, but a 3-pointer by Conner with the shot clock about to expire gave the Hornets a 32-19 lead going into the half.
For complete story visit www.nsuspartans.com or www.dsuhornets.com
Bison Bulldoze through Bulldogs for Fifth Straight Win
Howard 59, South Carolina State 25
Washington, D.C. - In its largest margin of victory on the season, the Howard Bison overtook fellow MEAC opponent South Carolina State, 59-25, extending its winning streak to five-straight games.
Cheyenne Curley-Payne got the Bison (10-14, 6-4 MEAC) rolling with three crisp shots behind the arc to immediately put HU up, 15-3.
With a little over five minutes into the game, Bison threat Tamoria Holmes temporarily left the game with a shoulder injury. She would return later in the half where she quickly converted back-to-back field-goals, including a three-pointer and a layup on a breakaway steal to push up the Bison, 32-5. Holmes finished with 10 points after the first 20 minutes.
Offensively, the Bison would break away to a 36-7 lead going into halftime as the Bulldogs (2-8, 6-14 MEAC) failed to convert shots and recorded a mere five offensive rebounds.
The Bison outpaced the Lady Bulldogs in rebounding, 23-11, as HU capitalized on 14 defensive rebounds. Howard would score six of its first half points on second chances, whereas the Bulldogs were limited to none.
South Carolina State's Tiara Knotts, however, would attempt to bring her team up late in the game after landing three baskets from behind the arc, closing the scoring gap, 54-23.
Holmes, Curley-Payne, and MEAC leading-scorer Saadia Doyle would return to the game in attempt to slow down the Lady Bulldogs momentum. The trio powered forward with an impressive Bison defense until the close of the game, holding SCSU to 18 points in the second stint. In their noteworthy defensive stance, the Bison tallied 14 assists, three blocks, 12 steals and a season high of 44 total rebounds.
Curley-Payne dominated with 12 rebounds (three offensive, nine defensive) in the conference win. Meanwhile, Doyle finished with 12 points in the game, leaving her 103 points shy of the monumental 1,000 point mark. Tasia Majors made an appearance in the second half and recorded her first points in her collegiate career.
For complete story visit www.howard-bison.com or www.scsuathletics.com
UMES Falls, 80-68 in Overtime, Despite Second-Half Comeback
North Carolina A&T 80, Maryland E. Shore 68
Princess Anne, Md. - Tracy King scored a game-high 24 points, including five in overtime, to spoil Maryland Eastern Shore's second -half comeback and lead North Carolina A&T to an 80-68 win at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center Monday.
UMES (8-15, 5-5 MEAC) rallied from down, 53-42, with 9:52 remaining in the second half to force an extra session but N.C. A&T (10-11, 6-4) outscored the Lady Hawks, 14-2, in the final five minutes for the victory. The win for N.C. A&T snapped a two-game losing streak while the loss for UMES is its first at home in conference play, dropping it to 5-1.
King was 7-for-15 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free-throw line with eight rebounds for N.C. A&T. Jaleesa Sams recorded a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. Casey Morton led UMES with 19 points, a game-high five steals and added four assists.
Chelsea Sanders scored 13 points on 5-for-12 shooting and was the only other player for the Lady Hawks in double figures. The Lady Aggies' Nikia Gorham (15 points) and Reisha Bullock (13) also each finished in double digits.
Adobi Agbasi started the UMES comeback with a layup from Morton in the second period to make it 53-44. LaKendra Wilkerson then converted another layup less than a minute later to cut the deficit to seven.
Morton later capped a 7-4 run with a 3-pointer to make it a 57-53 with six minutes to play. Gorham pushed the lead to 61-55 with 1-of-2 free throws before Sha-Kiyla Finney drained a trey to make it 61-58 in the second half. Morton tallied 3-of-4 from the line in 39 seconds to pull the Lady Hawks even at 62-62.
For complete story visit www.umeshawks.com or www.ncataggies.com
Lady Pirates Cruise Past NCCU for Fifth Straight Win
Hampton 79, North Carolina Central 44
Hampton, Va. - The Hampton Lady Pirates won their ifth straight game Monday, cruising past North Carolina Central 79-44 at the HU Convocation Center.
Sophomore forward Keiara Avant scored a career-high 17 points - all in the first half - and pulled down a career-high nine rebounds to lead the Lady Pirates (17-6). Junior guard Jericka Jenkins added 17 points and 11 assists for her second straight double-double, while freshman guard Nicole Hamilton came off the bench to score 10 points.
Five of Avant's nine rebounds were on the offensive end, blocking one shot.
Sierra Solomon hit a 3-pointer in the first half to cut Hampton's lead to 14-11, but the Lady Pirates responded with a 12-0 run to take a 26-11 lead on a Hamilton trey. Solomon's trey was NCCU's last field goal of the first half.
A free throw from junior center Sherena Abercrumbia in the half put Hampton up 36-16. Hampton then scored the next six points to go up 42-16 at the intermission.
NCCU shot just 5-for-21 (23.8 percent) in the first half.
Hampton opened the second half on a 16-6 run to take a 58-22 lead as Jenkins sank a jumper. Shanise Blanks would hit a 3-pointer mark to bring the Lady Eagles to within 33, 58-25, but a 6-0 Hampton spurt gave the Lady Pirates their largest lead of the night, 64-25, on a Hamilton jumper.
Jori Nwachukwu cut the lead to 30, 68-38, with a layup.
The Lady Pirates shot 44.8 percent from the floor, while making 13 of their 19 free throws. Hampton also held a 53-30 advantage on the boards.
NCCU (2-21) shot just 28.3 percent from the floor and turned the ball over 16 times - resulting in 14 Hampton points..
Nwachukwu led NCCU with nine points and seven rebounds.
For complete story visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.nccueaglepride.com
Lady Rattlers Cage Coppin State Eagles for 73-62 Win
Florida A&M 73, Coppin State 62
Tallahassee, Fla. - The Florida A&M Lady Rattlers (11-11,6-4) and Coppin State Eagles (8-13, 5-5) fought vigorously for sole possession of third place in the MEAC standings. With both teams entering the game at 5-4 in the conference and in a five-way tie for third place, the game was an important positioning contest for the fast-approaching MEAC tournament.
In the first half, Tameka McKelton led the team in scoring with 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting from the field and 2-for-5 shooting from the three-point line. Qiana Donald added seven points and pulled down five rebounds.
Crystal Whittington led all scorers with 14 points in the first half. Shawntae Payne contributed eight points for the Eagles, while Whittington paced the Eagles with four boards.
The second half brought on an assault from the Lady Rattlers on the inside. Shekeira Copeland and Donald took charge of the lane grabbing rebounds and scoring in the paint. Donald finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds, while Copeland finished with 18 points and eight rebounds.
With a free throw in the second half with 8:48 remaining in the game, McKelton eclipsed the 1,000 point mark for her career as a Lady Rattler. She would end the night with 21 total points to lead all scorers. She finished the game with 1,010 for her career.
Antonia Bennett, who went scoreless in the first half, ignited a Lady Rattlers run by scoring eight consecutive points.
The Eagles wouldn't concede easily, but were unable to match the intensity of the Lady Rattlers' pressing defense. Whittington finished with 19 points and Payne finished with 14 to pace the Eagles. Kyra Coleman put in 13 to round out a trio in double figures.
For complete story visit www.famurattlersports.com or www.coppinstatesports.com
Recaps to follow
Morgan State 55, Bethune-Cookman 45
Presbyterian 54, Savannah State 47