BOWIE STATE SUFFERS HEARTBREAKING 26-20 OVERTIME HOMECOMING LOSS TO VIRGINIA STATE

BOWIE STATE SUFFERS HEARTBREAKING 26-20 OVERTIME HOMECOMING LOSS TO VIRGINIA STATE

Rebroadcast

BOWIE, Md. – Bowie State redshirt sophomore Keith Brown (Temple Hills, Md. / Suitland HS) rushed for a game-high 120 yards and one touchdown, but Virginia State running back Lamont Britt (Norfolk, Va. / University of Virginia College of Wise) rushed for a 4-yard touchdown in overtime to spoil the Bulldogs Homecoming with a 26-20 victory.

Leading the Trojans on offense was quarterback Jarred Battle (Norfolk, Va. / Lake Taylor HS) with a game-high 201 passing yards, completing 21-of-32 (two interceptions) and one touchdown. Battle’s top target was Bryan Jones (Hayward, Calif. / Chabot C.C.) with seven catches for 39 yards.  The Virginia State defense was led by Brandon Robinson (Hampton, Va. / Phoebus HS) with a team-high 11 tackles.

Virginia State amassed 422 yards (221 rushing) of total offense while limiting Bowie State to 287 (173 rushing).

Bowie State took a 6-0 lead when redshirt sophomore Jared Johnston (Dumfries, VA / Forest Park HS) teamed with junior Prince Onuoha (Riverdale, Md. / Frederick Douglass HS) on a 9-yard scoring strike in the corner of the end zone with 8:58 left in the first quarter. The extra point by redshirt-sophomore Mario Diaz-Aviles (Washington, D.C. / Delaware State Univ.) was blocked.

                                                                                          

Devonte Hunt (Newport News, Va. / West Virginia Wesleyan College) scored Virginia State’s first points of the afternoon with 9:07 left to play in the second quarter on a 24-yard field goal.

VSU’s Jones pounded in from two yards out with 27 second left in the second quarter, shifting the advantage over to the Trojans at 10-6.  Possession time in the first half of play was dominated by Virginia State, holding a 20:13 to 9:47 advantage.

Bowie State regained the lead on its first possession of the third quarter on Johnston to freshman Maxie Stevens (Washington, D.C. / Dunbar HS) 46-yard pass and catch, putting the score at 13-10 Bulldogs.

Virginia State went three and out on their next possession and Bowie State took advantage of the opportunity, driving 64 yards in eight plays, capped off by a one yard score by Brown at the 6:19 mark of the third quarter and a 20-10 lead.

Virginia State’s Hunt booted a 30 yard field goal with 13:35 remaining in the third to cut the Bowie State lead down to 20-13.

Bowie State appeared to be in the driver’s seat with just over two minutes left in regulation. Faced with a fourth and 14 from the Virginia State 21 yard, the Bulldogs decided to attempt a 38 yard field goal. Unfortunately for Bowie State, the Diaz-Aviles kick was blocked by Virginia State’s Rontrelle Knockett (Fort Barnwell, N.C. / Louisburg C.C.), giving the Trojans was last chance.

Following two short completed passes, Battle connected with Ja’von Smallwood (Virginia Beach, Va. / Bayside HS) for 23 yards down to the Bowie State 25 yard line. Battle then teamed up with Jacob Kellam (Virginia Beach, Va. / Norfolk State Univ.) for a 25 yard touchdown. Hunt calmly added the extra point, tying the game at 20-20 with 1:02 left on the clock.

In the overtime period, Virginia State won the toss and elected to go on defense first. The BSU Bulldogs ran three plays and attempted a fake field goal on fourth and 11 with no success.

Virginia State’s Britt scampered 21 yards down the sideline on the Trojans first play of overtime and followed up with the winning 4-yard touchdown run.

Bowie State’s Johnston completed the afternoon with 114 passing yards, completing 11-of-24 (one interception) and two touchdowns. The Bulldogs’ defense was led by redshirt freshman Antoine Young (Capital Heights, Md. / Suitland HS) and redshirt-junior Delante White (Temple Hills, Md. / Crossland HS) with a game-high 13 tackles each.

Bowie State hit’s the road for its next two divisional match-up’s, making stops at Virginia Union University next Saturday (October 20^th) at 1 pm then head north to face Lincoln University of Pennsylvania on Saturday, October 27^th at 1:30 pm.

#21 BOWIE STATE CRUISE TO 70-60 CONFERENCE VICTORY OVER JOHNSON C. SMITH

#21 BOWIE STATE CRUISE TO 70-60 CONFERENCE VICTORY OVER JOHNSON C. SMITH                 (BOWIE, Md. – January 19, 2012)  A late arriving A.C. Jordan Arena crowd got into their seats just in time to see the 21st ranked Bulldogs cruise to a rather easy 70-60 conference victory over Johnson C. Smith University.  With the win, Bowie State improves to 12-3 overall (4-2 CIAA) while the Golden Bulls dip to 7-8 overall (2-3 CIAA).             “I thought our guys did a terrific job overall defensively, especially against (Trevin) Parks” said a tired BSU head coach Darrell Brooks.  The Golden Bulls had their second lowest shooting percentage of the season. Johnson C. Smith shot just 33 percent (20-60) from the field, compared to 46 percent (29-63) shooting for Bowie State.  The Bulldogs outscored the Golden Bulls 34-22 in the paint and 16-0 off second chance opportunities.  Bowie State never trailed in the game and led by 13 (35-22) late in the first half.  The Bulldogs defense allowed just six points over the final 6:04 of the first period and strolled into halftime with a 35-24 advantage. The Bulldogs lead ballooned to a game-high 24 points, opening the second half with a 13-0 run, padding the Bowie State lead at 48-24. Antwan Wilkerson had a team-high 12 points with nine rebounds. Phillip Wood produced a double-double of 11 points and 10 boards and Trevin Parks had a season-low 11 points with five assists. Senior Jay Gavin scored a game-high 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the field and included 5-of-8 beyond the 3-point line.  Senior Darren Clark and junior Bryan Wilson rounded out Bowie State’s double figure scorers with 11 points each.  Senior Travis Hyman led the Bulldogs on the glass with seven rebounds and a game-high four blocks. Bowie State University will head south again for their next two games with the first stop coming in Murfreesboro (N.C.) against the Chowan University Hawks on Saturday (January 21st) at 4 pm.  Following that game, Bowie State will invade Elizabeth City State’s Vaughan Center on Monday (January 23rd) at 7:30 pm.  Both games are doubleheaders with the Lady Bulldogs.

NCAA Mens Basketball: #20 BOWIE STATE POUNDS PITT-JOHNSTOWN 80-69

Date Released: 12/11/2011

#20 BOWIE STATE POUNDS PITT-JOHNSTOWN 80-69 (BOWIE, Md. – December 8, 2011) Bowie State University overcame a 37-35 halftime deficit and rebounded to capture an 80-69 non-conference victory over the University of Pittsburgh-Johnstown. The 20th ranked Bulldogs improve their record to 5-1 on the year while the Mountain Cats dip to 5-4 overall. “I thought we defended very well … We forced 25 turnovers and guarded really well in our half court man and full court pressure … that has been our focus over the last week and half”, said Bulldogs head coach Darrell Brooks. So far this season, when Bowie State scores first and/or shoots 50 percent or better from the field, the Bulldogs win. Well, tonight was no different. Senior Jay Gavin stoked a 3-pointer right off the opening tip and BSU ended the evening shooting 50 percent from the floor. Pitt-Johnstown’s Patrick Grubbs gave the Mountain Cats their first lead of the game at 4-3, but Bowie State used a 24-7 run over the next 7:16 to build a 16-point advantage. Back-to-back triples by Gavin put the Bulldogs up 25-11 at the 12:14 mark and a layup by junior Bryan Wilson seconds later gave BSU, what many thought, a comfortable lead. However, the Mountain Cats responded in huge way. Jordan Miller hit a 3-pointer and Nick Novak followed with a short jumper to ignite a 26-8 run to close out the first half and gave Pitt-Johnstown a slim two-point halftime lead. BSU senior Travis Hyman scored the first Bulldogs’ points of the second half and a Wilson layup tied the game for the third time. Back-to-back layups by UPJ’s Jordan Miller gave the Mountain Cats their largest lead of the night at 46-42. A pair of free throws by Bulldogs’ senior Darren Clark and another free throw by Gavin trimmed the Pitt-Johnstown lead to one with 16:37 remaining in the contest. Grubbs pushed the visitors lead to four again (49-45) via a free throw and a layup. The Bulldogs scored the next 14 points to regain the lead and gave Bowie State a double-digit advantage. Bowie State extended their lead to 13 with 5:57 left to play and cruised to the victory from there. Grubbs; double-double of 19 points and 12 rebounds led the UPJ Mountain Cats. Miller had 17 points and a team-high six assists, while Novak added 17 points as well. The Mountain Cats shot 48 percent from the field (27-of-56), but just 4-of-16 from three-point range. Pitt-Johnstown made 11 of its 17 free throws (65 percent). The Bulldogs made 27-of-54 field goals which included 9-of-22 beyond the arc (41 percent) and 17-of-23 from the charity stripe (74 percent). Bowie State was paced by Gavin’s career-high 26 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the floor to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Clark and Wilson also scored in double figures tallying 20 and 13 points respectively. Clark led the Bowie State on the glass, grabbing a team-high seven rebounds and tied his season-assists high with eight. Looking ahead to Bowie State’s upcoming game at Mercyhurst, Brooks said, “We have to do a better job taking care of the basketball … we just turn it over too much and we have to be a little more patient executing our offense. If we get better at those things and get a little better with our defense, we’ll be tough to deal with as the season moves on. The Bulldogs will now prepare for first semester final exams before returning to action in the Mercyhurst Invitational (December 17th-18th).