Thursday, January 23, 2014

Five Players Scores in Double Figures in Bulldogs 81-70 Division Win over Virginia Union

Five Players Scores in Double Figures in Bulldogs 81-70 Division Win over Virginia Union


RICHMOND, Va. - Four of five Bowie State Bulldogs starters scored in double figures in a huge 81-70 CIAA division win over the Panthers of Virginia Union. With the victory, Bowie State improves its season mark to 8-11 overall, 2-6 in the CIAA and 1-1 in the North.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was senior Ray Gatling (Oxon Hill, Md.) and junior Zafir Williams (Philadelphia, Pa.) with 19 points each while seniors David Golladay and Carlos Smith (Baltimore, Md.) added 16 and 12 points respectively. Sophomore Andre Jackson (Owings Mills, Md.) also contributed double figure scoring, pumping in 12 off the bench.

Avery Jimnson (Harlem, N.Y.) and Omar Briggs (Richmond, Va.) were Virginia Union’s top offensive players, tallying 19 points apiece. Jimnson and Briggs also led both teams on the glass, hauling down 10 and 12 respectively. Ray Anderson (Wilmington, Del.) chipped in 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.

The Bulldogs led by as much as a dozen in the first half and went into intermission with a 39-32 advantage. Bowie State made 14-of-29 first half field goals (48.3 percent) and 9-of-10 free throws.

The Panthers were a little chilly as well, making just 10-of-29 field goals in the first half (34.5 percent). Free throws kept Virginia Union in the game over the first 20 minutes, as the home team made 11-of-17 from the charity stripe.

Virginia Union closed the gap to five (45-40) at the 16:30 mark of the second half, forcing Bulldogs head coach Darrell Brooks to call a timeout.

A great dribble, drive and layup by Bulldogs junior Zafir Williams (Philadelphia, Pa.) pushes Bowie State lead to 50-42 with a little of 14 minutes remaining in the game.

The Panthers responded with a 9-2 burst to trim the Bulldogs lead 52-51 on a Briggs layup with 11:16 remaining in the game.

A Gatling three-point play followed by a pair of Williams free throws gave the Bulldogs a small cushion at 56-51.

A Briggs layup and a Gerard Dean-McBride (Richmond, Va.) three-point play closed Virginia Union’s gap to one point again (57-56), but a 9-2 Bowie State run quickly pushed the lead back up to double-digits (69-58) with 5:21 left to play. The Bulldogs and Panthers played even the rest of the way.

When Brooks was asked if he was satisfied with the win, he quickly said, “Not satisfied, but pleased … We have a lot of areas to get better in!” We had balanced scoring and we defended well, but we must rebound better, especially when we get teams to miss.”

Virginia Union out-rebounded Bowie State 45-38 and held advantages in points off turnovers (19-18), second chance points (20-11) and bench points (19-15).

The Bulldogs shot 53.3 percent from the field in the second half on 16-of-30 shooting and 30-of-59 overall (50.8 percent). Bowie State also knocked down 17-of-21 free throws (81.0 percent) in the contest.

Bowie State returns home to host the Hawks of Chowan University at 4 pm Saturday (1/25) in BSU’s A.C. Jordan Arena.

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