BOWIE, Md. - The Bowie State University Bulldogs overcame a sluggish start and battled back to claim a 78-70 home victory against the University of the District of Columbia on Wednesday evening inside the A.C. Jordan Arena. With the win, Bowie State is now 3-4 overall heading into a brief Thanksgiving break.
 
Senior Cameron Hayes (Upper Marlboro, Md.) came off the Bulldogs bench to lead all scorers with a game-high 23 points, helping Bowie State snap a two-game skid. Senior Juwan Smith (Lexington Park, Md.) pumped in 16 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field while fellow senior Saiquan Jamison (Upper Marlboro, Md.) recorded a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds for Bowie State.
 
The Bulldogs found themselves in a 10-point deficit three times in the first half of play with the last coming at the 4:35 mark and Bowie State trailing 30-20. Fortunately, the Bulldogs circled the wagons and closed the half with a 13-5 burst to close the gap to 35-33 by halftime. Bowie State managed just 9-of-34 (27 percent) from the field over the first 20 minutes but made 13-of-14 free throws.
 
Bowie State pulled even at 35-all on a Jamison layup to start the second half scoring and senior Rinardo Perry (Washington, D.C.) gave the Bulldogs its first lead of the night (37-35) on a driving layup at the 17:44 mark.  
 
The game featured four ties and six lead changes, but Bowie State never trailed again after the midway point of the second half. With the scored tied at 46-all, BSU's Smith drilled a deep 3-pointer at the 10:53 mark and the Bulldogs were on their way. Bowie State's lead grew to 10 points (64-54) but the University of D.C. Firebirds outscored the Bulldogs 14-5 over the next three plus minutes to pull within one at 69-68 with 1:25 remaining in the game following a Zachary Olukanni layup.
 
A Hayes triple along with a pair of free throws combined with another pair of free throws by Jamison capped off a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs, giving Bowie State all the breathing room needed to close out the game.
 
Bowie State's field goal shooting improved to 55 percent in the second half with the Bulldogs making 16-of-29 compared to 41 percent (15-of-37) for the Firebirds.
 
Olukanni paced the University of D.C. (4-3) with a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Aeren Smith tallied 14 points to go along with eight rebounds for the Firebirds, while Cheyenne Nettleton along with Juanye Colon were responsible for 12 points apiece. The Firebirds outrebounded the Bulldogs 42-40 and held advantages in points in the paint (30-26).
 
The Bulldogs return to the hardwood on Saturday (November 30), playing host to Fairmont State in a 4 p.m. non-conference contest.