Lady Bison Pull Ahead in Second Half to Defeat NC A&T, 82-72

Howard 82, North Carolina A&T 72

Winston-Salem, NC—March 10 --Saadia Doyle scored 17 of her game-high 28 points in the second half and Tamoria Holmes added 15 of her career-high 26 after intermission to help Howard come from a 22-point first half deficit and get by North Carolina A&T, 82-72 in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC Women’s Basketball tournament in Joel Coliseum.

The Lady Bison (15-17), the Number 6 seed, advance to the semifinal round where they will take on Morgan State, the Number 2 seed at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

The Lady Aggies (15-14), the Number 3 seed, came out on fire, shooting a blistering 70-percent from the field and 75-percent from 3-point range (6-of-8). 

North Carolina A&T held a 36-14 lead at the 5:49 mark.  All the Lady Aggie players got into the scoring act, and were led by Jaquayla Berry (9), Mikala Scott (9), Tracy King (8) and Reisha Bullock (7).

Saadia Doyle and Tamoria Holmes led the Lady Bison and combined for 22 first half points. Howard reeled off a 19-7 run over the last five minutes of the first half to reduce the deficit to 43-33 at the break.

“I told the team not to quit,” said a composed Howard Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. “To keep fighting.  And I think that is what they did, just believing that they could still win.”

The Lady Bison continued their comeback at the start of the second half on the scoring of Doyle, who single-handedly got her team back into the game, at one point scoring nine straight points.  The comeback became complete when a 16-6 run knotted the game at 49-all at the 14:13 mark.

“They did a good job driving to the basket and getting to the line,’ said Lady Aggie Head Coach Patricia Cage Bibbs.  “They went man to man and you have to be able to execute.  They did a great job.”

North Carolina A&T’s Berry, an All-MEAC first team selection, added “They were all in our face in the man to man and the adjustments they made seemed to work.”

The Lady Aggies relied on the scoring of Mikala Scott, Reisha Bullock and Nikia Gorham to keep it close.

Howard countered on the play of Holmes, who scored 13 of her team’s 16 points during a key stretch.  The Lady Bison were also able to get key contributions from sophomore point guard Cheyenne Curley Payne, who scored 10 of her 16 in the second half.

“Of course, the performance of Saadia Doyle and Tamoria Holmes was huge for the day,” said Geckeler. “The run by Tamoria was huge.  It gave us a lot of energy and confidence.”

Doyle, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year and an All-conference first team selection, just missed a double-double with 28 points and nine rebounds while playing the entire 40 minutes.  Holmes shot 10-of-14 from the field and added three assists and three steals.

Scott led North Carolina A&T with 17 while Bullock and Berry each tallied 13 in a losing effort.

Youth Serves Coppin State Well In Win Over Florida A&M

Coppin State 76, Florida A&M 64

Winston-Salem, NC—March 10—Kyra Coleman scored a game-high 22 points to lead four players in double figures and help Coppin State defeat Florida A&M, 76-64 in a MEAC Women’s Basketball Tournament quarterfinal at Joel Coliseum.  The Lady Eagles (13-16), the Number 5 seed, will face Hampton, the Number 1 seed on Friday at Noon.

Kyra Coleman got Coppin State off to a quick start, scoring 14 of her points in the first half en route to a 36-30 lead at the half.  One of three freshmen starters on the young Lady Eagles squad, Coleman also grabbed seven rebounds and handed out three assists.

“We talked about getting off to a good start,” said Coleman. “Our goal was to play consistently and keep our poise.”

The Lady Rattlers (15-15), the Number 4 seed, missed 24 of their shots and were outrebounded 29-19.

“We got off to a slow start in the first 5 to 6 minutes and dug ourselves into a hole,” lamented Florida A&M head coach LeDawn Gibson.  “Some of it was nerves, but I thought that we would settle down and gain our composure.”

Coppin State began the second half with an 11-2 run to take a 47-32 lead at the 16:56 mark.  Shawntae Payne proved to a thorn in FAMU’s side in their attempted comeback, scoring 11 of her 17 points after intermission.

Leola Spotwood also played a major role, recording a double-double of 13 points and 15 rebounds.  And when Coleman was not scoring, she was making her presence felt in other areas with 10 rebounds, four assists and four steals.

“A lot of our success tonight had to do with the job that our guards Dawnae Roberts and Ashle Craig,” said Coppin State head coach Derek Brown.  “They did a great job getting the ball to the right people at the right time.  Their eyes were open and it allowed for them to get people involved in the half-court and in transition game.”

Brown continued, “As for Kyra, she just did a tremendous job on the boards.”  

Florida A&M was able to make mini runs on the scoring of All-MEAC first team selection Antonia Bennett’s 19 points and Qiana Donald’s double-double of 11 points and 11 rebounds, but the Lady Eagles repelled their efforts each time with baskets off turnovers or second chance opportunities.

“We didn’t take care of the ball,” said Coach Gibson. “We tried to force things that weren’t there. I’m still in shock at how we played.  We’re a much better team than we showed tonight.”

Payne contributed 17 off the bench for the Lady Eagles, Spotwood with 13 and Craig with 12.

Tameka McKelton, an All-MEAC first-team selection, finished with 10 points and five assists for the Lady Rattlers.