BOX SCORE

(BOWIE, Md.) Bowie State University held off a furious late second half rally by Indiana University of Pennsylvania and defeated the Crimson Hawks 71-68. Indiana (Pa.) (1-1) came into the game ranked #2 in the early D-II polls.

Bowie State (2-0) led by as much as 14 points in the second half (67-55) after free throw by junior Darren Clark (Largo, MD, Largo, Lincoln University of Pennsylvania) with 4:31 left to play. However, a 13-4 run put the Crimson Hawks in position to tie the game in the final seconds before the last of IUP's 21 turnovers sealed the win for the BSU Bulldogs.

Darryl Webb led Indiana (Pa.) with a game-high 19 points followed by Ashton Smith with 17 points. Webb also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Crimson Hawks.

The Crimson Hawks held a 45-28 advantage on the glass.

Senior Eric Vann (Clinton, MD, Gwynn Park, Prince George's C.C.) led five Bulldogs in double figures with 14 points followed by sophomore Bryan Wilson (Upper Marlboro, MD, Riverdale Baptist School) with 12. Wilson led both teams with a game-high five assists. Junior Ali Djim (Hampton, Va, Bethel, Lincoln Trails C.C.) pulled down a team-high seven rebounds to go along with 10 points and two blocked shots. Bowie State shot 48.3 percent from the field (28-of-58) and committed only 11 turnovers but was almost done in from the free throw line, hitting only 10-of-21.

Trailing by 12, IUP got baskets from Kevin Stewart and Webb to get within single digits at 67-59 with exactly four minutes left. BSU's Clark briefly put the Bulldogs back up by 10, but Bowie State scored only two more points the rest of the way.

Stewart hit a pair of free throws, Smith converted a layup and Marcel Souberbielle drained a triple to make it 69-66 with 2:17 remaining. Bowie State missed its field goal on the other end, and Djim turned the ball over after grabbing the offensive rebound. Indiana (Pa.) made the Bulldogs pay when Souberbielle scored again on a layup at the 1:16 mark to make it a one-point game.

Clark stopped the Indiana (Pa.) surge with a jumper in the paint with 44 seconds left, and Webb misfired on a 3-pointer. Clark was fouled to stop the clock with 20 seconds remaining but missed a pair of free throws. After both teams called a timeout, IUP's Crimson Hawks set up for the final shot but Vann stripped Sanders on the way up for a three to deny the visitors of the comeback win.

Bowie State held a 45-35 lead at intermission, shooting a season-high 51.5 percent in the first period. BSU's Bulldogs connected on 17-of-33 first half field goals.

Sophomore Byron Westmorland (Baltimore, MD, Mergenthaler, Baltimore City C.C.) added 11 points and Clark matched that point total.

Bowie State will return to action – Friday (November 26) against Johnson C. Smith University in the opening collegiate game of the Fresh Coast Classic in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.