BOX SCORE
(BOWIE, Md.) The Bowie State University Lady Bulldogs overcame a 10-point second half deficit an rallied to defeat the Saint Paul's College Tigers 65-55. Bowie State 15-7, 14-5 CIAA, 4-3 East) was led by junior
Lakisha Walker (Baltimore, MD, St. Frances Academy) and sophomore
Juliette Turner (Silver Spring, MD, John F. Kennedy) with 21 and 14 points respectively.
Saint Paul’s College led the entire first half except for being tied one time at 25-25 at the 3:41 mark of the opening period. Shooting was tough for both teams in the first half. Saint Paul’s hit 10-of-28 field goals (39 percent) and Bowie State hit 12-of-31 first half field goals (36 percent). The Bowie State defense stepped up, registering six first half blocks (seven overall). Senior
Flodysha Peterson (Cambridge, MD, Cambridge South Dorchester) accounted for six of the total blocks.
The Lady Tigers of Saint Paul’s took a 32-27 advantage into halftime and appeared ready to knock off the 5th ranked (NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Poll) Lady Bulldogs of Bowie State. Saint Paul’s knocked down 3-of-6 first half 3-pointers and 5-of-7 first period free throws.
Saint Paul’s (7-17, 6-14 CIAA, 2-6 East) extended their lead to a game-high 12 points (39-27) at the 18:16 mark of the second half after a layup by Shalyn Davis. Unfortunately for Saint Paul’s, Bowie State ran off 14 straight points to retake the lead at 42-39 with 12:01 remaining in the game. Walker was the major reason for the run, scoring nine points over the five minute stretch.
The lead would change hands five times over the next nine until Bowie State’s Peterson hit a twisting jumper in the paint to give the Lady Bulldogs a 56-55 lead with 3:02 left to play. Bowie State outscored Saint Paul’s 11-0 over the final 3:33 of the contest.
Juantale Cook paced Saint Paul’s with a team-high 19 points and Jasmine Stewart added 10 points in the loss. Tatiana Ellis and Tiffany Merritt led Saint Paul’s in rebounds with eight each.
BSU’s Lady Bulldogs held a slim 42-41 rebound advantage with Turner grabbing a game-high 10 boards, eight of which were on the offensive glass.
Bowie State wraps up the regular season – Saturday (February 20), hosting the Virginia Union University Lady Panthers at 2 p.m. in BSU’s A.C. Jordan Arena.