ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. - - In the second meeting of the regular-season with Elizabeth City State University, shooting was a significant factor as the Bulldogs sweep the season series with a 70-59 victory over the Vikings.
 
The Bulldogs advance to 16-10 overall, 8-5 in conference play, and 4-2 against division opponents. The Vikings dropped to under .500 on the season at 12-13, stand 4-9 in conference play and 2-5 against division opponents. They now sport the second-worst winning percentage in the northern division.
 
"This was a good win for un on the road", stated a very happy Bowie State Head Coach Darrell Brooks. "Coach Walker's teams are always very well coached ... they play hard and are tough. We did a great job defensively, especially holding their leading scorer (Justin Faison) to just two points on 1-of-11 shoting."
 
Bowie State got off to a quick start as they held a 16-6 lead, with 12:46 to play in regulation. They maintained its lead throughout the half, as the Bulldogs shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field, 50 percent (3-of-6) from deep and connected on 67 percent (8-of-12) of its free throws. Although Elizabeth City State shot 39 percent (13-of-33) from the field, they entered halftime only down by five points.
 
But in the second half, the Bulldogs continued to make shots, and the Vikings continued to miss shots-- as they shot 32 percent (10-of-31) from the field and 11 percent (1-of-9) from three-point range. Still, Elizabeth City had a chance to win the game. They cut the Bulldogs' lead of 10 at the 16-minute mark, down to four points at the 10:13 minute mark.
 
However, their mini runs did not last as they struggled to slow down the Bulldogs' rhythm on offense--especially senior David Belle (Hyattsville, Md), who led the two Bulldogs double-digit scorers with 22 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Senior Juwan Smith (Lexington Park, Md) followed up with 13 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field.
 
As a team, the Bulldogs shot 55 percent from the field, making 26-of-47 field goals and knocked down 50 percent (6-of-12) of its shots from long distance. They also held andvantage in the paint (30-26). For Elizabeth City State, Joseph Allen, and Shykeef Daniels tallied 14 points each. Gabe Kirkendoll followed up with 10 points.
 
Next Wednesday (2/19), the Bulldogs will continue its road trip against Virginia Union, who is currently riding a four-game win streak. Game time in VUU's Barco-Stevens Hall is 7:30 p.m.