BOWIE, Md. – Junior Talanya Hutton (Seat Pleasant, MD) did a little bit of everything for the Bulldogs as the team beat rivals Virginia Union 49-44 on Thursday evening. The third-year player scored team-high 17 points while Shameka McNeill led the Virginia Union Lady Panthers in scoring with 13 points. Bowie State improves to 17-3, (7-2 CIAA / 1-1 North) while Virginia Union dips to 16-3 overall, 7-2 in league play and 2-2 in the division.  PHOTOS (Courtesy of Carroll Smith)

Bowie State played some tough defense and a balanced offensive attack to claim the win. As a team, the Bulldogs held the Lady Panthers to shooting just 33.3 percent (17-of-51) from the floor while shooting only 28.6 percent (14-of-49) from the floor in the game. 

The Lady Panthers took control of the game early in the first quarter by going on a 7-0 run. McNeill hot start gave VUU a 10-1 lead after knocking down a deep three at 7:11. VUU pulled away 14-6 after Ifunanya Okoye's layup with 2:22 remaining. However, the Bulldogs allowed the Lady Panthers to close the quarter with a pair of free throws to stay ahead, 18-9.

The second quarter had a similar look as the Bulldogs were slow to get started. VUU's Breonn Hughey deep ball took the Lady Panthers lead to 22-13 at the 5:21 mark. However, BSU would fight back to keep the game close. Senior Dynaisha Christian's (Pocomoke, Md.) layup made the score 22-20 before Okoye answered with a layup of her own. The Panthers ended the period on top 27-22 after Hughey went 1-2 at the charity stripe.

Bowie State made the third stanza the most competitive even though they were outscored 12-11. Hutton's deep ball cut the deficit to 27-25 before sophomore Drew Calhoun (New Carrollton, Md.) tied it at 29-all with a three of her own with 7:03 to go. The Lady Panthers would however regain control late in the quarter after McNeill's layup pushed the lead to 39-33 to end the period.

Although the Bulldogs were outscored 22-14 in the paint, they held an advantage in points off turnover 22-16 after forcing 24 Lady Panthers' turnovers. Bowie State Senior Shawnkia McCallum (Baltimore, Md.) opened the period with a three pointer at the 5:42 mark. Both teams would go back and forth throughout the quarter with Bowie State grabbing its first lead at 45-44 after Christian's layup with just 17 seconds remaining in the contest. From there, the Bulldogs would close out the Panthers to capture the victory.

Bowie State returns to action Saturday (2/1) hosting Virginia State University. Tipoff is slated for 2:00 p.m.