BOWIE, Md. – Bowie State women's basketball was unable to overcome inopportune turnovers in the contest and Livingstone took advantage down the stretch as the Bulldogs fell at home to the visiting Blue Bears on Thursday night, 64-55 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) action.
Bowie State (2-5, 1-1 CIAA) shot 39-percent (21-53) from the field in the contest compared to Livingstone (2-7, 1-0 CIAA) who shot 40-percent (18-45) from the floor and held a 37-29 rebounding advantage in a back-and-forth game through the first three quarters in the Bulldogs second conference tilt at home. The Blue Bears took advantage of the Bulldogs 22 turnovers down the stretch and scored 20 points off the miscues while also hitting 25-of-32 free throws.
Freshman Anii Harris (Ellicott City, MD) was back in double-digits for the fourth consecutive games with 17 points, tying her career-high while junior Chyna Butler (Syracuse, MD) grabbed a team-high five rebounds to go along with six points and three assists in the loss.
The Bulldogs got off to a good start in the opening quarter, racing out to a 12-3 at the 4:17 mark. The Blue Bears managed to score three points on layup and free throw to cut the deficit 12-6 at the end of the quarter.
Bowie State led by as many as 11 points on a 7-2 run to begin the second quarter but the Blue Bears orchestrated a 14-2 scoring margin to pull within one (23-22) with 1:13 before a layup from sophomore Seanice Lyons (Upper Marlboro, MD) gave the Bulldogs a 25-22 cushion at halftime.
Livingstone and Bowie State went point-for-point in the second half as the Bulldogs grew their lead back up to double digits, capped off by a layup from Harris with 5:21 left in the third. Livingstone answered with a layup of their own that led to a 13-3 run, including five unanswered points during the span to tie the game at 41-all with just 48 seconds left. LC would take a 43-41 edge heading into the fourth quarter after two made free throws from Alyssa Boyce.
In the fourth, the game tied twice, including a 45-even stand after a cleanup layup from junior Drew Calhoun (New Carrollton, MD) but Livingstone went on to score nine unanswered points that led to a 19-10 spread that included 10-straight free throws in the final two minutes for the win.
Bowie State went to the free throw line just 16 times, connecting on 11 for 69-percent while shooting just 22-percent from behind the arc (2-9).
BSU is scheduled to return to action on Monday, Dec. 20 against Winston-Salem State in CIAA action but the contest is subject to change. Game time is set for 5:30 p.m. from the campus of Washington Adventist in Tacoma Park, MD.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.
