LADY BULLDOGS HOLD ON DOWN THE STRETCH TO DEFEAT FLORIDA SOUTHERN MOCCASINS

LADY BULLDOGS HOLD ON DOWN THE STRETCH TO DEFEAT FLORIDA SOUTHERN MOCCASINS 

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Florida Southern’s bid for win number one on the season came down to the final two minutes against Bowie State, but the Lady Bulldogs had just enough to hold off the Moccasins and claim victory number two. In a game where neither team ever led by more than seven points, Bowie State pulled away in the closing moments for a 57-54 victory at the University of District of Columbia Classic.

Florida Southern (0-2) led 26-23 at halftime behind eight points from Kirstin McIntyre and 45 percent shooting from the floor. Bowie State (2-0) was shooting just 33 percent at that point, but the Lady Bulldogs turned it around in the second half when they shot 52 percent while the Moccasins slipped to 37 percent in the final 20 minutes of action. 

The first seven minutes of the second half saw four lead changes and two ties, with Bowie State freshman Sandra Davis putting the Lady Bulldogs ahead 34-33 at the 12:40 mark. As it turned out, that basket gave the Lady Bulldogs the lead for good, but it was never comfortable. Even when sophomore Jasmine McIntosh and junior Brooke Miles pushed the lead up to 40-33 with back-to-back 3-pointers, the Moccasins came right back with baskets by Mariah Harris and Taylor Maldonadoto trim the gap to three.

Behind four free throws by Florida Southern’s Morgan Lamberg and a bucket by McIntyre, the Moccasins twice got within two points, and when Tracy Fosterlinglaid one in with 2:40 remaining, the Moccasins were within one at 48-47. From there, however, the Lady Bulldogs scored on four straight possessions, including three straight field goals. That pushed the BSU lead back to seven (56-49) with 36 seconds to play. 

Fosterling kept Florida Southern in the game though when she knocked down a 3-pointer moments after Bowie State had re-claimed its seven-point advantage. When the Lady Bulldogs turned the ball over, the Moccasins had a chance to score again right away, but this time missed two shots, and was forced to foul when McIntosh got the second rebound for Bowie State. McIntosh made one-of-two free throws to make it 57-52, and Alexis Hochstetler made a final basket for Florida Southern to provide the final margin.

Earlier in the game, Bowie State had scored on its first three possessions to take a 6-3 lead two minutes into the game, but scored just two points over the next 4:45. Maldonado tied the game at eight with a three-point play, and FSC’s Ali Sanders gave the Moccasins its first lead at the 10:02 mark of the first half. 

Bowie State eventually went ahead 23-20 before going cold again and missing 10 straight shots to end the half. During that time, Hochstetler helped Florida Southern grab the lead with four points and an assist on a basket by Lamberg. The 6-0 spurt to close out the first half gave the Moccasins their 26-23 lead at the break.

McIntyre led Florida Southern with 11 points and eight rebounds, while Fosterling and Lamberg each had 10 points and eight boards. Fosterling made Florida Southern’s only 3-pointer and was 4-for-5 from the floor, and Lamberg was 6-for-6 from the free throw line. 

Sophomore Bria Robinson of Bowie State led all scorers in the game with 13 points, with the Lady Bulldogs also getting 11 points from fellow sophomores Channell Mackey and Jasmine McIntosh. The Bulldogs shot 42 percent overall compared to the Moccasins’ 40 percent, but the Bulldogs also had eight fewer turnovers.

Junior Moriah Goodman led the Lady Bulldogs on the glass, grabbing a team-high six rebounds and Mackey handed out a game-high four assists for Bowie State. BSU will take on Grand Valley State, a 73-67 winner against the host of the University of the District of Columbia. Tip-off for the Lady Bulldogs and Lakers is set for 1 pm.