Dec. 30, 2008
Final Stats
DURHAM, N.C. - North Carolina Central University freshman guard Danielle DeBerry scored nine of her 14 points in the second half and junior center Jori Nwachukwu tallied a game-high 25 points to help the Lady Eagles to a 67-66 overtime victory over Western Michigan in McLendon-McDougald Gym on Tuesday night.
NCCU improved to 3-11 on the season, while Western Michigan fell to 4-9.
In the first half, the Lady Eagles held a 25-13 advantage after a layup by Nwachukwu with 43 seconds left before the break. Western Michigan responded by scoring the last four points of the opening half on four free throws by Tiera Delahoussaye to make the halftime score 25-17.
The Broncos shot just 17.4 percent in the first 20 minutes on 4-for-23 shooting from the field and committed 17 turnovers. NCCU shot 9-for-19 from the floor (47 percent) and was 7-for-10 in free throws.
WMU entered the second half with renewed energy, courtesy of a suffocating defense and the play of rookie forward Maime Giden. The team's leading scorer, Giden did not play in the first half, but came off the bench to score a team-best 19 points.
The Lady Eagles led by as much as 13 with 14:32 remaining in the second half. That's when Giden caught fire, scoring the next 13 points for WMU to cut the deficit to 40-36 at 10:53.
The Broncos looked poised after a lay-up by Brenna Bankston gave them a 46-44 lead with 7:59 left to go.
The two teams continued to exchange baskets down the stretch when Bankston nailed a clutch three-pointer from the top of the circle to tie the game at 61-61 with 10 seconds left in regulation.
NCCU freshman guard Blaire Houston, who scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half, had a last chance jumper partially blocked at the buzzer, sending the game into overtime.
In overtime, it was all Nwachukwu. The Lady Eagle junior scored all six of her team's points in the extra session, including the last four points of the game.
Jenny Loney had an open look at the top of the key for WMU, but her attempt fell short and the final horn sounded as the Lady Eagles celebrated the upset victory.
Nwachukwu finished the game with 25 points and eight rebounds. DeBerry connected on 4-of-7 from the field and hit 6-of-9 from the charity stripe for her 14 points, while adding five assists. Houston had a good night with 13 points for NCCU.
After some first half shooting woes, WMU shot a blistering 63.6 percent from the field in the second half (14-of-22), but then made only 2-of-6 shots in the extra session. NCCU shot a steady 51.1 percent (23-of-45) from the floor on the night.
The Lady Eagles return to action on Friday, Jan. 2, hosting South Carolina State inside McLendon-McDougald Gym at 6 p.m.
