ORANGEBURG, S.C. --The Bowie State women's basketball team rallied from a 10-point deficit at 51-41 with 9:56 left in the fourth quarter to knock off the Claflin Lady Panthers 62-58 on the road Saturday afternoon in it Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) opener inside Tullis Arena.

The Bulldogs (6-2, 1-0 CIAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Anii Harris, who had 23 points and two steals. Jayla Irvin tacked on 12 points and nine rebounds and Beulah Odiong added nine points, seven rebounds and three steals. Led by Saniha Jackson's three offensive rebounds, Bowie State pulled down 12 boards that resulted in 10 second chance points.

Bowie State's defense held Claflin (2-4, 0-2 CIAA) to only 39.3-percent shooting from the field, including 27.3-percent from beyond the arc.

How It Happened
After falling behind 10-3, Bowie State went on an 8-0 run with 5:11 left in the first quarter to take an 11-10 lead. The Bulldogs then maintained that lead and entered the quarter break with a 15-14 advantage. Bowie State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 15 points.

Claflin rallied to take a 25-19 lead before BSU went on an 8-0 run starting at the 4:04 mark in the second period, highlighted by a three from Robyn Howard, to take a 27-25 lead. The Panthers then battled back to even it up at 31-31 heading into halftime.

Claflin proceeded to take over in the third quarter and the Bulldogs entered the fourth trailing 51-39. Bowie State knocked down two three-pointers in the quarter to score six of its eight total points.

BSU narrowed its deficit to 53-46 before going on a 10-0 run to seize a 56-53 lead with 4:46 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 62-58 win.

Game Notes
» The Bulldogs rallied from a 12-point 51-39 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» BSU held the Lady Panthers to only 39.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Bulldogs defense forced 19 turnovers.
» Bowie State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Harris led the Bulldogs with a game-high 23 points.
» BSU got a game-high nine rebounds from both Katerra Myers and Irvin.

Next Up
Bowie State will return home to host Johnson C. Smith in CIAA cross division action on Monday, Dec. 12 at 5:30 p.m. BSU is 10-11 against JCSU since 2009 but the Bulldogs have won the last three outings, including a 62-48 win on the road last season. 

For the most up-to-date information on Bowie State Athletics and its 13 varsity sport teams, visit bsubulldogs.com.