Dec. 30, 2009

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - Five student-athletes finished in double-figures to lead the North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (2-10) to a dominating, 84-54, victory over the South Carolina State University Lady Bulldogs (4-7) Wednesday evening in McDougald-McLendon Gym.

"I think we executed a lot and we did exceptionally well on our defensive and offensive end," said NCCU head coach Joli Robinson. "We saw both of those things really start to come together well when were down there in Florida and it was good to see them put it together and execute tonight."

NCCU put on their best performance of the season, topping their previous outing against South Carolina State just 29 days ago. The Lady Eagles closed out 2009 with a controlling 30-point victory over the Lady Bulldogs, their largest margin of victory since becoming a division one program. This victory marks their second of the season.

The Lady Eagles' 84-point performance is their best scoring performance of the year and their second highest scoring outing since Dec. 8, 2007, where they scored 95 points against Fayetteville State. NCCU has now won 36 of their 45 home contests since the start of the 2005-06 campaign.

Freshman Joanna Miller led the Lady Eagles in scoring for the ninth time this season with a game-high 23 points. She earned 10 of her 23 points from the charity stripe, while going 6-for-16 from the field. She was also an impact on the boards and on defense with eight rebounds and a game-high four steals.

Shanise Blanks, the Lady Eagles' sharpshooter, showed her strength from behind the arc, going 5-for-7 from 3-point land. She finished the game with 17 points, just three shy of her career-high. Senior Latoya Bennett added 13 points to the mix and grabbed seven boards.

Captains Danielle DeBerry and Blaire Houston showed why they are the leaders of this team with both players rounding out the Lady Eagles' scoring dominance. DeBerry had 12 points, while dishing a game-high six assists. Houston collected a season-high 12 points with an 8-for-11 free throw shooting performance.

"We played the entire game tonight," said DeBerry. "We didn't just go out there and play the first half or just play the second half. We played the whole entire game as a team. We played team ball. When we get more than just one or two people in double-figures than that helps us."

Freshman J'Mia Pollock repeated her rebounding battle from the last game with eight rebounds, while giving the Lady Bulldogs trouble with a season-high five blocks.

South Carolina State scored the first basket of the game, but it didn't take long for NCCU to get on the board. With two tied scores and three lead changes, it didn't take long for the Lady Eagles to take control of the game. SCSU's largest lead was at the 19:41 mark when they were up 2-0. The other two lead changes happened within the first two minutes of action before the rest of the game belonged to host NCCU.

After the 16:23 mark, which was the last lead change of the game, the Lady Eagles outscored the Lady Bulldogs 28-21 to take a 34-25 lead going into the break. At the half, Miller had already scored in double-figures with 10 points, while Hipps had 11.

The second half was all about the Lady Eagles, who looked to rebound after suffering a loss to Duke on Monday. NCCU was in the driving seat, not allowing SCSU to get within single digits of the lead. The Lady Eagles led by as many as 34 at the 4:01 mark in the second half, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs, 50-29, in the half. NCCU claimed an 84-54 victory.

NCCU dominated in just about every category, shooting 45.1 percent from the field, its second-best shooting percentage of the year, while having their best night from long range, hitting 43.8 percent. The Lady Eagles remained consistent from the charity stripe with a 79.5 percent shooting outing.

Defensively, the Lady Eagles held SCSU way below their average in field goals and 3-point shots with a 24.2 percent shooting night and a 18.2 percent 3-point shooting outing. NCCU forced 25 turnovers, in which they scored 28 points off of, while notching a game-high 15 steals.

Both teams were aggressive on the glass with 43 rebounds apiece, the most for NCCU this season. The Lady Eagles proved to be stronger off the bench, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs' bench, 32-22.

South Carolina State finished with three players in double-digits. Sophilia Hipps, who is averaging 17.4 points per game, was held under her average with 13 points, while Paris Alston totaled 13. Whitney Wiley added 10 points for the Lady Bulldogs. Joi Walker dominated on the glass with a game-high 13 rebounds.

NCCU improved to 2-10 on the season and 1-2 at home, while SCSU fell to 4-7 on the season. The Lady Eagles moved a little closer in the series, now down 5-2 against the Lady Bulldogs.

The Lady Eagles will continue their six-game homestand on Saturday, Jan. 2 at 2 p.m. when they open the new year with rival North Carolina A&T State University in a battle for bragging rights as the historic rivalry continues. The Aggies have a commanding lead over NCCU with a 19-7 advantage in the series.

For more information on Lady Eagle basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com.