WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Bowie State women's basketball team (2-3) fell just short 58-53 to the University of the District of Columbia (5-3) Saturday afternoon on the road.
Freshman Katerra Myers (Burtonsville, MD) led the way for Bowie State with 11 points, six rebounds and five steals while senior Talanya Hutton (Seat Pleasant, MD) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with five points.
After holding a 11-10 scoring advantage in the first quarter, Bowie State maintained their lead up until the 7:32 mark of the second quarter when UDC stole the lead on two free throws from Latavia Jackson. The Firebirds closed out the first half with a 13-7 run to lead 28-26 at halftime, outscoring the Bulldogs 18-11.
Bowie State trailed by as many as 14 in the third quarter when the Firebirds orchestrated a 10-2 scoring spread with 4:35 on the game clock. A bucket from senior Chyna Butler (Syracuse, NY) groomed a mini run for BSU as the Bulldogs cut the deficit to single digits on two made free throws from junior Drew Calhoun (New Carrollton, MD). Bowie State pulled within four after a free throw from Myers with 25 seconds left but UDC tacked on a pair of free throws to lead 43-27 at the end of the third.
The Bulldogs scored six unanswered points to tie the game at 45-all before regaining the lead on a jumper from freshman Anii Harris (Ellicott City, MD) with 6:19 remaining in regulation. BSU held on to their lead a little over five minutes until the Firebirds gathered a 5-0 run to take control of the contest with a 52-49 stand and 2:24 left to play.
Calhoun sunk two more freebies to close the gap to one but a 3-pointer from Halia Ellis gave UDC a four-point cushion they would not relinquish.
Offensively, Bowie State struggled from the field – shooting 36.5-percent (19-52) for the game, a season-low 15-percent (2-13) from the 3-point line but was able to connect 13-of-16 free throws for 81-percent. BSU held advantages in bench points (22-15) and fast breaks (6-5) but UDC scored 14 points off of second chances and scored 18 points off of turnovers.
As for the Firebirds, UDC shot 41-percent (20-49) in field goals, only 25-percent (5-20) from long distance and 65-percent (13-20) from the free throw line.
Bowie State will return to action on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at Division I Old Dominion in Norfolk, Va. Game time is set for 6:30 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State University Athletics and its 13 varsity sports teams, please visit www.bsubulldogs.com.
