CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Sharp shooting from Bowie State University and a 25 point performance from senior All-CIAA selection Byron Westmorland (Baltimore, Md.) propelled the Bulldogs to a 78-56 victory over the Chowan University Hawks on Wednesday evening in the Time Warner Cable Arena.
Bowie State University (13-13) entered the contest as the #4 seed out of the Northern Division, while the Hawks met up with the Bulldogs as the #6 seed in the North. With the win, Bowie State advances to the quarterfinals against Lincoln (PA), the top seed in the North. Tip-off is slated for 9:00 pm on Thursday.
Bowie State Head Coach Darrell Brooks stated, “We’re really excited about tonight’s game and about the win tonight. We just came into it like this is our first game and we just have to win. We have to earn every game from here on out. It’s not guaranteed and we have to earn our next game and we have to get ready for tomorrow.”
Quinton McDuffie got the Hawks on the board first in the contest with a jumper. McDuffie drew a Bulldog foul and sank two free throws allowing Chowan to take an early 4-0 lead.
A dunk by Bowie State senior Najee White (Jamaica Queens, N.Y.) put the Bulldogs on the board at the 17:49 mark. The Hawks answered back with a three pointer from Kyree Bethel and a lay-up from CIAA Rookie of the Year Kortez Smith to earn an early 9-2 advantage.
The Bulldogs battled back with a 10-3 run capped by a jumper from senior Bryan Wilson (Upper Marlboro, Md.) with 13:53 clock to tie the game 12-12. A White free throw gave the Bulldogs their first lead of the game. Ashante Ross hit a three pointer to shift the lead back over to the Hawks a 15-13 lead with 11:06 left in the first half.
Westmorland sealed off a 7-0 run for the Bulldogs, drilling a three pointer to secure the 22-15 lead with 9:21 left in the first half. Bowie State extended their lead to 10 points at the 5:41 mark following another three pointer from Westmorland.
The Hawks struggled to keep Westmorland under control, as he scored 18 points in the first half alone, and eight out of the team’s 12 points in the last five minutes before intermission. The Bulldogs took a 39-25 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Westmorland and Bowie State stayed hot after halftime as the Bulldogs continued to use the long ball to build a commanding lead over the Hawks in the second half. Bowie State pushed their lead to as many as 20 points at the 15:15 mark after a basket from senior Branden Doughty (Upper Marlboro, Md.) made the score 48-28.
Chowan (7-20) battled back to pull within 10 at the 6:19 mark after a three pointer from Greg Alston, but sharp shooting from the Bulldogs proved to be too much for Chowan to handle as Bowie State maintained a double digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
In addition to Westmorland’s offensive production, senior Dameatric Scott (Hagerstown, Md.) added 14 points while Doughty and White each added 11 points in the contest.
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