BOX SCORE
(CLARION, Pa.) Clarion University, a member of the Pennsylvnia State Athletic Conference, shot a blistering 54 percent from the field in the second half and went on to hand Bowie State University's Lady Bulldogs a 73-50 loss. The loss, Bowie State's second in as many days, dips the Lady Bulldogs to 0-2.
It was a tale of two halves for Bowie State. BSU's Lady Bulldogs kept it close in the first half of play and led at one point by the score of 17-13 midway through the opening period. The Bowie State trio of juniors Lakisha Walker (Baltimore, MD, St. Frances Academy) and Teaunsha Robinson (Baltimore, MD, Baltimore Polytechnic) along with sophomore Juliette Turner (Silver Spring, MD, John F. Kennedy) led the Lady Bulldogs during that stretch, scoring 12 of those points.
The lead would change hands three times over the next eight minutes before a Lizzie Suwala 3-point bucket shifted the advantage back to the Clarion Lady Golden Eagles (27-26) at the 2:28 mark. Suwala and Bowie State junior Brittney Jackson (Laurel, MD, Laurel) traded 3-pointers on each team's next possession. However, Clarion closed out the first half with back-to-back layups by Bethany Koch and Courtney Healy to send the Lady Golden Eagles into halftime with a 34-29 lead.
The first half of play featured nine lead changes and three ties. Bowie State hit 13-of-32 first half field goal attempts and just two-of-eight behind the arc. Clarion connected on 14-of-36 first period field goal attempts, which included six-of-15 beyond the 3-point line.
Bowie State senior Bianca Lee (Temple Hills, MD, Archbishop Carroll) scored the first two points of the second half. Unfortunately for Bowie State, Clarion would not let the Lady Bulldogs get any closer than three for the remainder of the game.
Clarion (2-0) began the second half with a 14-6 run, extending the home team lead to 48-35. Bowie State's Robinson stopped the run, making one-of-two free throws. However, Clarion's Koch answered with a 3-pointer and the Lady Golden Eagles rout was on. The Clarion lead quickly grew, ballooning to a game-high 24 points (73-49) with 1:53 left in the game.
Bowie State struggled from the field in the final half, making just eight-of-32 from the field and missed all six of their second half 3-point attempts. Turnovers hurt Bowie State for the second game in a row, as the Lady Bulldogs committed 17.
Clarion didn't attempt a single free throw in the first half, but made seven-of-11 in the second half. The Lady Golden Eagles shot 45 percent from the field (28-of-62) on the afternoon and held Bowie State to 33 percent shooting (21-of-64). Clarion shot well beyond the arc, knocking down 10-of-22 with Suwala contributing five-of-six triples.
Koch led all players with 25 points and 15 rebounds and Suwala ended the game with a double-double of her own (19 points and 12 rebounds) for Clarion's Lady Golden Eagles.
Lee was the only Bowie State player to score in double figures, leading the Lady Bulldogs with 11 points. Walker scored nine points and Robinson matched that point total and added a team-high seven rebounds. BSU's Jackson and Turner along with senior Flodysha Peterson (Cambridge, MD, Cambridge South Dorchester, Garrett C.C.) added a half dozen points each to the stat sheet.
The Bowie State Lady Bulldogs will begin conference play – Saturday, November 21st playing a road game against new CIAA member Chowan University at 2 pm in CU's Helms Center.
