BOX SCORE

(BOWIE, Md.) Saint Augustine's College captured a hard-fought 75-71 CIAA basketball win over Bowie State University on Saturday (Jan. 23) at A.C. Jordan Arena.

Saint Augustine's guard Chris Jordan (Sr./Houston, TX) scored 15 points and guard Steven Brignol (Sr./Brooklyn, NY) added 14 points, all in the second half, for the Falcons, who improved to 13-3 overall and 8-2 in the CIAA.

Unlike the last meeting on Jan. 2, when the Falcons saw a 19-point lead evaporate in a 68-64 loss to Bowie State's Bulldogs, they held on for a tough win on the road. The lead in the second half was never more than six points, but the Saint Augustine's came up with crucial plays near the end to pull off the win over a game Bowie State Bulldogs team (9-6 overall, 7-4 CIAA).

Trailing by two points, Brignol drained a three-pointer for a 64-63 Falcon lead with 2:25 left in the game. The Falcons never fell behind again though the Bulldogs made things interesting.

Junior Jamal Hyman (Plymouth, NC, T.C. Williams, Montgomery C.C. - Takoma Park) hit two free throws to pull Bowie State within 68-67 with 59 seconds on the clock, but the Falcons responded with two Jordan free throws for a 70-67 lead five seconds later.

The Falcons then forced a turnover which led to a Shaun Washum free throw for a 71-67 lead with 29 seconds left. Bowie State closed within two points on an Eric Vann (Clinton, MD, Gwynn Park, Prince George's C.C.) layup with 24 seconds remaining, but could get no closer. Washum made a layup for a four-point Falcon lead and Brignol hit two free throws for a 75-69 lead with nine seconds left.

Washum and Hayward Fain (Jr./Akron, OH) both added nine points and six rebounds for the Falcons, who outscored the bigger Bulldogs 40-24 in the paint and scored 23 points off 19 Bulldog turnovers.

Freshman Bryan Wilson (Upper Marlboro, MD, Riverdale Baptist School) came off the bench and kept the Bulldogs in the game with 15 points, all in the second half, on 5-for-6 three-point shooting from deep range. Senior Duke Crews (Hampton, VA, Bethel, Univ. of Tennessee) added 12 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, and sophomore Travis Hyman (Annapolis, MD, Old Mill, Prince George's C.C.) contributed three blocks for the Bulldogs. Crews and Hyman are the CIAA's top two shot blockers.

The Falcons opened fast from the outset, scoring the game's first nine points. After a timeout, the Falcons maintained their nine-point lead, but the Bulldogs started chipping away at midway in the first half.

A layup by Jordan at the 4:34 mark kept the Falcons ahead 27-22, but the Bulldogs ended the half on a 7-2 run. A free throw by Armond Hill with 1:33 left tied the game 29-29 at halftime.

Despite being outsized, the Falcons more than held their own on the boards, outrebounding the Bulldogs 32-19 in the first half. 

Bowie State returns to action - Monday (January 25) hosting Shaw University at 7:30 p.m. in BSU's A.C. Jordan Arena.