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Jan. 20, 2007
Washington, D.C. - Howard University used points from 14 of their 15-player roster to explode past Bethune-Cookman College, 81-59, in the second half of an MEAC Saturday matinee inside Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. Leading 33-31 at the half, Bethune-Cookman (4-12, 1-6 MEAC) appeared to be in perfect position to pull off a key Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference upset on the road. The second half, however, was 20 minutes long ... and the Wildcats appeared to forget that part of the game. Howard (1-15, 1-5 MEAC) fixed whatever went wrong in the first half and fired on all cylinders for the latter half of the contest. With B-CC accumulating 30 turnovers in the contest, Howard abruptly scored 33 points off Wildcats miscues. For the Bison, it was all they needed to secure their first win of the year, and move out of the "0-fer" column on the year ... a sight head coach Cathy Parson is not too used to seeing with the Bison. Tristan McCray did all she could for the `Cats to try and keep the chances for a win alive. B-CC increased their lead to six (40-34) in the early stages of the second half Natasha Ferguson connected on a jumper and foul shot, as well as McCray hitting a free throw with 15:36 left in the contest. That's where the Bison seemed to wake up and put on a serious run of their own. A 19-1 run, sparked by the play of ASha Santee and Courtney Smiley put the homsetanding Bison out to a 53-41 lead with 11:37 showing on the clock. Melloni Benson eventually got into the act and connected on two jumpers in the paint to move the Bison lead out to a 57-43 advantage. When Ferguson connected on a jumper with exactly 17 minutes left, the Wildcats didn't score another field goal until Ferguson, again, connected on a lay-up with 9:27 left in the game. The almost eight minute field goal drought has been a plague of the `Cats all season long.
Howard's Jasmine Lipford's lay-up moments later gave the Bison a 20-point advantage (67-47), and all but locked up the victory for the Bison. Howard was led on the night by Santee's 10-point performance, but 14 Bison scored in the game. All but one (1) player failed to record a point in the contest. Four other players posted nine points, with Benson collecting nine points and nine rebounds in the game. Lonice Kenley and Morgan Neal both added nine points, respectively, for the Bison as well. Christina Aden added her nine too. For the Wildcats, they were led by the play of McCray with her second double-double in as many weeks with 12 points and a season-high 13 rebounds. Cassandra Calcagno poured in a team-high 13 points and collected six rebounds for B-CC. The most startling fact in the game is that the always sure-handed point guard duties performed by senior Sabrina Boykin was not up to her normal capabilities. Boykin, not starting for the first time this season, had just two turnovers and zero (0) assists in 12 minutes on the court. Bethune-Cookman will look to get back on track on Monday night when they travel to the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore for a 5:30 pm game in Princess Anne, Md. The Hawks swept the `Cats last year, not including ending a dramatic MEAC Tournament run in the quarterfinals. |
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