NCAA Basketball: Bowie State Vs. St. Augustine's Recap

NO. 12 BOWIE STATE PREVAILS 75-71 OVER SAINT AUGUSTINE’S                 (RALEIGH, N.C. – January 14, 2012) Saint Augustine’s College made it very interesting down the stretch, but 12th ranked Bowie State University prevails 75-71.  The victory snapped a two-game Bulldogs losing streak and set the BSU record at 10-3 (2-2 CIAA).             A very hungry Bulldogs basketball team jumped on Saint Augustine’s from the opening tip.  Bowie State erupted for a 20-10 advantage by the 12:26 mark only to have the Falcons charge back.  A thunderous dunk by Jon Kindred cut the Bowie State led down to two at 29-27 at the 4:55 mark of the first half.             Bowie State may have been able to lead by more than 38-32 at halftime, but personal fouls hampered the Bulldogs.  Senior Darren Clark picked up three fouls in the first period while senior Travis Hyman, junior Byron Westmorland and senior Ali Djim were called for two fouls each.             Clark was whistled for his fourth foul with just under 11 minutes left in the game, sending the Bulldogs floor leader to the bench.             Back-to-back field goals by senior Jay Gavin followed by back-to-back free throws by Westmorland gave Bowie State a 12 point cushion (63-51).  The Bulldogs defense put the clamps on Saint Augustine’s between 8:16 and 5:30, only allowing a pair of free throws by Tyron Laughinhouse and a field goal by Chris Johnson.             However, just like the first half, Saint Augustine’s wouldn’t go away quietly, storming back to pull within one at 69-68 with 41 seconds left in the game courtesy of a Chris Rhodes trifecta.             Gavin drilled a jumper on BSU’s next possession to give Bowie State a little breathing room at 71-68, forcing Saint Augustine’s to call a timeout.  Clark stole the ball from SAC’s Rhodes, scored a layup and was fouled on the play by Tyquon Stroman.  Clark completed the 3-point play only to have Rhodes race down court to drain his third 3-point field goal of the game which made the score 74-71 Bulldogs with five ticks left on the clock. Gavin was fouled on the in-bounds play, strolled to the other end of Emery Gymnasium and sank a free throw to close the game out. Saint Augustine’s (8-6 / 3-1 CIAA) was led by Stroman’s 12 points and Rhodes added 11 points for the Falcons.  Saint Augustine’s outrebounded the taller Bulldogs 42-37 including 16-5 in offensive rebounds.  But the Falcons had trouble shooting over the Bulldogs, who have eight players 6-foot-7 or taller on their roster. The Falcons, who have two players over 6-7 on their roster, shot 32 percent but scored 29 points off 20 Bulldog turnovers. Gavin scored 17 points and Clark added 16 points and three steals for the Bulldogs, who shot 50 percent for the game. Junior Bryan Wilson finished with 14 points and Westmoreland scored 11 points for the Bulldogs, who outscored the Falcons 32-16 in the paint. Bowie State will take a day off before returning to the hardwood, at home, hosting the Blue Bears of Livingstone College on Monday (January 16th) at 7:30 pm. SAINT AUGUSTINE’S HOLDS OFF LADY BULLDOGS 72-60                 (RALEIGH, N.C. – January 14, 2012)  Bowie State University played with tremendous determination, but the Saint Augustine’s College Lady Falcons were just too strong down the stretch, beating the Lady Bulldogs 72-60.  The win improves the Saint Augustine’s record to 9-5 overall / 4-0 in the CIAA.             Bowie State (1-11 / 1-4 CIAA) was led by junior Cortney Baynard with a career-high 16 points.  Senior Juliette Turner finished the afternoon with 14 points and eight rebounds and fellow senior Kimberly Jones added a dozen points and seven rebounds for the Lady Bulldogs.             The Lady Falcons bolted out to an early 6-0 lead and extended that lead to a first period high of 14 points (25-11).  With Saint Augustine’s leading 28-14 with 6:59 remaining in the first half, the Lady Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run over the next minute and a half to close the gap to 29-23 after a pair of free throws by junior Jasmine Jacobs.             Bowie State knocked down 17-of-22 free throws over the first 20 minutes, but went into intermission trailing 39-31.  BSU hit 7-of-23 (30 percent) first half field goals.             Saint Augustine’s Keyona Bryant led the first half charge with 16 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field.  The Lady Falcons made 16-of-31 (52 percent) first half field goals.             Bowie State narrowed the gap to 41-37 early in the second half following a triple by Jacobs and a conventional 3-point play by Turner.             The Lady Falcons pushed the lead back to double-digits (50-40), but the Lady Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 spurt, forcing Saint Augustine’s to burn a timeout.             What ever the SAC coaching staff said during the time-out, Keianna Evans put the team on her back at that point, scoring eight straight points.             The only Bowie State basket wedged between Evans’ outbursts was a layup by freshman Alisha Burley.             Bryant paced Saint Augustine’s with a game-high double-double of 17 points and 12 rebounds.  Williams and Evans chipped in 15 and 12 points respectively and combined for 10 rebounds.  Speaking of rebounds, Saint Augustine’s controlled the backboards, holding a 55-32 advantage on the glass.             Baynard drilled a 3-pointer and Turner followed that up with drive to the hoop for two more, trimming the Lady Bulldogs deficit to 58-52.  However, the Saint Augustine’s duo of Jolisa Williams and Evans countered with an identical five point swing to give the Lady Falcons another double-digit advantage.             A bucket by BSU’s Jones with 1:49 left to play put the score at 66-57, but the Lady Bulldogs would get no closer.             Bowie State returns home for the first time in 11 days to host the Lady Bears of Livingstone College – Monday, January 16th at 5:30 pm.