BOWIE, MD -- Bowie State women's hoops picked up its fourth straight victory after topping the visiting Trojans of Virginia State (8-13, 4-7 CIAA, 1-4 North), 59-47 Saturday afternoon inside A.C. Jordan Arena. The win improved the Bulldogs to 12-8 overall, 8-3 in the CIAA and 4-1 in the Northern Division.

Junior Jayla Irvin scored 22 points and sophomore Anii Harris added 21 to lead the Bulldogs in scoring. Harris was named the Eastern Star Most Valuable Player, tacking on four rebounds, two steals, a block and a steal. Bowie State grabbed 38 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Virginia State's 28, led by seven boards from sophomore Saniha Jackson. The Bulldogs also cleaned up the offensive glass, turning 18 rebounds into 15 second chance points.

The Bulldogs forced 25 Trojan turnovers while committing 20 themselves. BSU turned those takeaways into 15 points on the other end of the floor. Irvin's two steals led the way for Bowie State.

How It Happened
Bowie State started out the scoring by going on a 5-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Harris, to take an early lead with 8:00 left in the first quarter. The Bulldogs then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 15-14.

BSU then started off the second quarter by going on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Harris, to take a 23-15 lead. The Bulldogs proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 31-22 advantage heading into halftime.

Bowie State continued to preserve its halftime lead before going on a 7-0 run to expand its lead further to 40-30 with six seconds to go in the third, a score which remained until the end of the third quarter. Bowie State knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its nine total points.

BSU started tacking on points in the fourth almost immediately, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Scott's layup, to grow the lead to 45-30 with 8:34 to go in the contest. The Trojans narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Bulldogs still cruised the rest of the way for the 59-47 win.

Game Notes

» The Bulldogs held the Trojans to only 35.6 percent shooting from the field.
» Bowie State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Irvin, Harris, and graduate senior Jazmyne Scott combined to account for 83 percent of the Bulldogs points.
» The Bowie State bench made an impact by adding 28 points to its scoring output.
» Bowie State had a 38-28 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Bowie State defense forced 25 turnovers.
» Bowie State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.

Up Next
Bowie State does not return to action again until Feb. 4 when the Bulldogs host Shaw for Greek Day and Alumni Takeover. Tip-off is slated for 2 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.