BOWIE, Md. – In a game that most thought was decided in the first few minutes of the first quarter, the Bowie State University Lady Bulldogs lose in nail-biting fashion to the Lincoln (Pa.) Lady Lions by a final score of 57-53 on Saturday afternoon in the A.C. Jordan Arena.
 
The Bowie State guard duo of sophomores Kiara Colston (Burtonsville, Md.) and Kyah Proctor (Capitol Heights, Md.), almost single handedly kept the Lady Bulldogs in the game. Colston finished with 18 points and a career-high nine rebounds while Proctor contributed 10 points. Junior Ashley Jennings (Newark, N.J.) fell just short of a double-double, scoring eight points and hauled down a game-high 12 rebounds.
 
Sophomore Jasmine Orsted (Dickson, Tenn.) scored seven and senior Alauna Jackson (Ellicott City, Md.) added five points. Sophomore Robin Heard (Waldorf, Md.) chipped in four points and sophomore teammate Lisa Jing (Laurel, Md.) rounded out the Bowie State scorers with one point.
 
The Lady Lions came out guns blazing, with an 11-1 run that was mired by being able to effectively distribute the ball to open baskets in the lane and the Lady Bulldogs were unable to make jump shots and several players got into early foul trouble. Frustration was setting in for the Lady Bulldogs when Interim Head Coach Shadae Swan called a timeout to regroup the troops.
 
The game didn't get interesting until a corner three by Orsted with just over three minutes left in the first quarter that would lead to an 11-4 Bowie State run to begin the second quarter.
 
From then on, there was a recurring pattern. Bowie State would go on a run and appear to chip away their deficit, only for Lincoln (Pa.) to catch their second wind and go on runs of their own to kill any momentum the Lady Bulldogs may have generated.
 
Towards the end of the fourth quarter, both teams were in a seesaw battle with either one of the teams held a minimal lead or the score was tied. The Lady Bulldogs' fate was sealed when the Lady Lions guard Courtney Smith (Milwaukee, Wisc.) hit two huge 3-pointers.
 
Smith led Lincoln (Pa.) in scoring with 16 points while Teira Pendleton (Baltimore, Md.) and Dejah Taylor (Nanuet, N.Y.) scored 11 and 10 points respectively. Taylor grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Lady Lions. With the win, the lady Lions improve their record to 12-8 overall, 7-5 in the CIAA and 4-2 in the Northern Division.
 
Bowie State (9-13, 2-10 CIAA, 0-6 North) return to action on Wednesday (2/10) evening, hosting nationally ranked Virginia Union University at 5:30 p.m.