Women's Basketball Tires Out in 79-73 Loss to Howard University

Feb. 17, 2007

Daytona Beach, Fla. - Bethune-Cookman College women's basketball was unable to get over the proverbial hump on Saturday afternoon as they fell by a score of 79-73 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference contest to Howard University at Moore Gymnasium in Daytona Beach, Fla. For B-CC, this was the eighth consecutive loss at the hands of the Lady Bison dating back to the 2002-03 season.

According to the record books, Bethune-Cookman (4-21, 1-13 MEAC) is riding the longest losing skid in school history; surpassing a 10-game stretch tied by current Wildcats head football coach and former women's basketball coach Alvin B. Wyatt, Sr.

B-CC trailed 34-31 at the half as they committed 18 first half turnovers. Thus, leading to 15 points for the Lady Bison of Howard (5-18, 5-8 MEAC) in the opening stanza. The Lady Bison were playing without the services of head coach Cathy Parson as she was suspended for the contest according to Howard University Sports Information Director, Edward Hill, Jr.

In the second half, B-CC trailed 48-46 following an old-fashioned three-point play from Cassandra Calcagno.

Calcagno led the Wildcats with 22 points on the afternoon. Howard immediately took the lead back up to five when Tamaya Daniels connected on a backdoor lay-up with the assist from Shannon Carlisle.

When B-CC guard/forward Monique Bassett hit one-of-two free throws with 12:10 remaining in the game, the Wildcats looked up at a 54-50 deficit. It was a deficit that would get increasingly larger. Howard went on a 17-3 run over the next five minutes to stretch the lead out to 71-53 with 7:42 showing on the clock.

During the run for the Lady Bison, Carlisle hit two three-pointers while teammates Daniels and Sequoya Moore pitched in on the scoring effort to extend the lead out to the largest of the day. The previous largest lead of the game was owned by the Wildcats in the first half when Calcagno's lay-up with 13:01 showing in the opening half gave B-CC a 16-7 advantage.

The `Cats went on a 12-2 run over the final 2:09 of the game to make it respectable at 79-73 in the end.

For the first time in over five years, the Wildcats failed to collect a three-point attempt in the contest. Records don't stretch back far enough to have an accurate date on the last time B-CC failed to take a three-point shot after the three-point basket was instituted in women's basketball prior to the 1987-88 season. Records do show that the Wildcats took just two (2) three-point attempts and missed them both at South Carolina State last Monday evening.

Howard, on the other hand, took 24 three-point shots and connected on six of them.

Howard was led on the night by Carlisle's game-high 31 point explosion. She finished with five of HU's six (6) three-point baskets. Carlisle also had three assists and a game-high six steals. Behind her was Courtney Smiley with 13 points, as well as a heavy night on the boards from Daniels with a double-double of extraordinary proportion with 13 points and 20 rebounds.

As for the Wildcats, it was all Cassandra Calcagno as she rung up her second double-double of the year with 22 points and 11 rebounds. Junior Natasha Ferguson was just shy of a double-double with 19 points and eight rebounds of her own. Bassett pitched in 10 points and eight rebounds to round out the double-digit scoring for B-CC.

Bethune-Cookman College will now look to snap their current 12-game losing skid on Monday night when they host the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach beginning at 5:30 pm. This is the first game of the season for the Wildcats inside the Ocean Center.