BOWIE, Md. - Bowie State University men's basketball kept its early season unbeaten streak alive on Wednesday evening, holding off the University of the District of Columbia 86-82. With the victory, the Bulldogs improve to 3-0 while the Firebirds slide to 0-3.
 
Seniors Jordan Goodman (Riverdale, Md.) and Justine Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) tallied 22 and 18 points respectively to lead the Bulldogs offensively. Sophomore Ahmaad Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) scored nine points while junior Michael Briscoe (Waldorf, Md.) and redshirt senior Miles Jackson (Silver Spring, Md.) contributed eight points apiece. Jackson was also the teams' high rebounder with nine and Goodman hauled down a personal season-best eight rebounds.
 
Senior Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) chipped in six points and teammate Omari George (Baltimore, Md.) also had six points in the barnburner. Senior Andre Jackson (Baltimore, Md.) recorded four points and junior Enuoma Ebinum (Greenbelt, Md.) was responsible for three points (all free throws). Senior Kenneth Tappin (Hyattsville, Md.) rounded out Bowie State's scorers with two points.
 
"Any time you have two local teams with bragging rights at stake, those games are always going to be tough" said Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks. "I give them a lot of credit … they were well prepared and well coached and they did some things that bothered us."
 
UDC was powered offensively by backcourt mates Kasim Chandler (Newark, N.J.) and Erin Senegal (Lafayette, La.), who combined for 43 points. Chandler tied for the game-high with 22 points while adding two assists and a steal, while Senegal knocked down a game-high five three-pointers on his way to a 21-point, three-assist effort. Junior transfer forward Joseph Nickerson (Newark, N.J.) continued his solid interior play with a double-double of 17 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks, four assists and three steals.
 
The Bulldogs out-shot the Firebirds from the field, 45.8 percent to 41.0 percent and from three-point range, 37.5 percent to 32.0 percent, and Bowie State was the more efficient offense on the night with 17 assists and 15 turnovers compared to UDC's 10 assists and 18 turnovers. Bowie State also edged UDC, 39-38 in rebounds.

A see-saw battle right from the start, the Firebirds were first to gain separation as they used an 8-0 run over a two-minute span to extend a 13-12 lead to a 21-12 lead, which was the largest lead held by either team all night. Still up 27-19 after a Jayone Troutman (Chicago, Ill.) jumper nearing the nine-minute mark, the Bulldogs went on a 12-3 march over the next four minutes, and Bowie State briefly pulled in front, 31-30 near the five-minute mark of the first half.
 
The sparring continued to heat up between the two rivals as the Firebirds and Bulldogs traded three-pointers – Nickerson knocking down one and Senegal a pair for UDC, and Goodman burying two from long-range for BSU – but two Nickerson layups and a free-throw were the difference as the Firebirds claimed a 44-39 advantage at the 3-minute mark. Still, the Bulldogs clawed and scrapped to stay in the game, out-scoring UDC 8-3 in the final three-minutes to force a 47-all tie at the break.

With momentum on their side, the Bulldogs opened the second half on an 8-2 surge, culminating in a Beck layup a little over two minutes into the action. But following a UDC timeout, the Firebirds regrouped and stormed out on a 14-2 run over the next five minutes. Senior forward Geran Pope (Washington, D.C.) came off the bench to register two layups and Chandler added five points during that stretch to give UDC a 63-57 lead at the 12:33 mark.
 
Still a six-point Firebirds lead (71-65) at the 8:08 mark, the Bulldogs used a methodical 15-4 run over the next five minutes, making 5-of-6 free-throws and using back-to-back three-pointers by Goodman and Beck to propel Bowie State to a 80-75 lead with 3:45 to play. A three-pointer by Senegal would stop the bleeding, and a pair of Chandler free-throws forced the game's 7th and final tie with 2:45 remaining in the game.
 
On the next two Bulldogs possessions, the Firebirds were whistled for fouls, as they turned the ball over on their offensive possession in between. BSU's Briscoe and Goodman each sunk a pair of free throws to extend the Bulldogs' lead to 84-80 with 1:31 showing on the clock. Chandler sliced the lead in half with a driving layup at the 56-second mark, but the Firebirds failed to secure a rebound on the ensuing BSU possession, and were forced to foul again with only 24 ticks left. Beck missed the first, but made the second to make it a three-point game, 85-82.
 
Chandler worked the ball up the floor and found an open Senegal for a spot-up three, but his shot rimmed out and bounced out of bounds to give the Bulldogs possession. Briscoe went on to ice the win with a 1-of-2 trip at the line, as Bowie State prevailed with an 86-82 victory.

Brooks stated, "I was pleased the way our guys stayed together and kept chipping away and that's the way we've been so far this year."
 
The Bulldogs return to action on Saturday (November 21st), traveling over to Philippi, W.Va. to face an always tough Alderson-Broaddus team at 4 p.m.