BOWIE, MD --The Bowie State women's basketball team held Virginia State (18-3, 9-3 CIAA) to just 38.9 percent shooting from the field, but fell 70-60 to the Trojans at home Wednesday night. Junior guard Anii Harris eclipsed the 1,000th-point career mark, becoming the 11th player in program history to score 1,000 points and first since 2020.
Harris led the Bulldogs (11-10, 5-6 CIAA) with 12 points and two blocks. Saniha Jackson tacked on seven points, seven rebounds and two steals and Jayla Irvin chipped in as well with nine points.
Led by Jackson's five offensive rebounds, Bowie State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 15 boards that resulted in 13 second-chance points.
BSU forced 17 Virginia State turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Wednesday's game. The Bulldogs turned those takeaways into 16 points on the other end of the floor. Jackson's two steals led the way for Bowie State.
How It Happened
After falling behind 15-7, Bowie State went on a 5-0 run with 3:57 left in the first quarter, culminating in a three from Mia Smith, to narrow its deficit to 15-12. Virginia State answered back and added to its lead, leaving the Bulldogs down 19-15 entering the second quarter.
The Bulldogs continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 41-24 halftime deficit.
Bowie State's deficit continued to grow after halftime, and the Bulldogs faced a 60-42 disadvantage heading to the fourth quarter. Bowie State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 18 points in the paint.
Bowie State narrowed its deficit to 66-49 before going on a 9-0 run to shrink the deficit to 66-58 with 2:36 to go in the contest. VSU responded and outscored the Bulldogs the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 70-60. Bowie State took advantage of eight Virginia State turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Bulldogs held the Trojans to only 38.9 percent shooting from the field.
» Bowie State's defense forced 17 turnovers.
» BSU cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 15 offensive boards in the game.
» Harris led the Bulldogs with 12 points, she scored her 1,000th career point.
» Bowie State got a team-high seven rebounds from Jackson.
