Jan. 18, 2010

Final Stats

DURHAM, N.C. - The North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles (6-11) kept their winning streak alive as they defeated the Savannah State University Lady Tigers, 50-46, Monday afternoon to earn their fourth consecutive win in front of a crowd of 693 for Alumni Day at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium.

In a gym filled with the spirit of Martin Luther King, Jr., the Lady Eagles kept their spirit alive with four student-athletes putting on double-digit performances, two in the scoring column and two on the boards. Blaire Houston and Joanna Miller each recorded 15 points, the second consecutive 15-point performance for Houston.

Latoya Bennett and J'Mia Pollock anchored the boards for NCCU with each grabbing double-digit rebounds. Bennett led the way with a game-high 14 rebounds, her fourth consecutive double-digit rebounding performance. She was one-point shy of her third double-double with nine points. Pollock added 10 rebounds.

NCCU put on an aggressive defensive effort, forcing 19 turnovers with 11 steals on the night. The Lady Eagles' scrappy defense was led by Miller with five steals and Pollock with a game-high four blocks. NCCU tallied a season-high 10 blocks to add to their powerful defensive performance.

The Lady Eagles struggled from 3-point land, shooting 6.7 percent from behind the arc. Even with a low shooting performance, NCCU managed to stay in control of the game. They shot 36.0 percent from the field and an impressive 86.7 percent from the charity stripe. They earned 26 points in the paint, 18 off of turnovers and 14 off of fast breaks. The NCCU bench outscored the Savannah State bench, 17-13.

Savannah State overpowered NCCU on the boards, out-rebounding the Lady Eagles, 49-39. The Lady Tigers were led on the boards by Alisha Nelson and Carlita Johnson with 12 rebounds apiece. Being aggressive on the glass came easy for the Lady Tigers, who outnumbered the Lady Eagles in second chance points, 13-7.

Courtney Long led Savannah State on offense with 13 points, the only student-athlete to record double-digits in scoring. Carissa Jackson added nine points with all nine coming from behind the arc, as she went 3-for-4. She was the defensive threat for Savannah State with a team-high five steals.

The NCCU defense held Savannah State to a 24.6 percent shooting outing, but the Lady Tigers were hot from long range, shooting 36.4 percent from 3-point land. From the charity stripe, Savannah State shot 66.7 percent.

The Lady Eagles took control of the game from the tip as they earned the first two shots of the ballgame from the free throw line off the hands of Miller. With a quick 2-0 lead, Savannah State tied the score at the 17:48 mark, which was the first and only tie of the ballgame as NCCU was in control for the rest of the game.

NCCU went on a 19-4 run to extend its lead to 15 at the 11:00 mark with Houston scoring 12 of those 19 points. A 15-point lead was the largest lead of the stanza. Houston scored 13 of her 15 points in the first half. Savannah State battled to get within reach, but couldn't get closer than a nine-point deficit at the 5:32 mark.

The Lady Eagles went on a brief 7-4 run to close out the half with a 34-22 lead. At the break, NCCU had six blocks and eight steals and held Savannah State to a 19.4 percent shooting outing. Houston was the only student-athlete in the game in double-digits at the half.

Coming out of the break, NCCU kept ball in its court, continuing the momentum from the first half, scoring the first two buckets of the half to take a 16-point lead at the 16:16 mark, which was the largest lead of the game. Even with NCCU in control, the Lady Tigers did not back down. They went on a 22-10 run to get within four at the 3:27 mark, but the Lady Eagles refused to let them get a taste of victory.

Savannah State began to run out of time and was forced to foul to keep the time on their side. Miller hit back-to-back free throws with nine seconds on the clock to put the finishing touches on the victory. Savannah State managed to squeeze in a last minute shot at the buzzer to fall by four, 50-46.

NCCU increased their winning streak to four and now stands at 6-11 on the season, while Savannah State dropped to 8-14 on the season and is now on a 10-game losing skid following tonight's matchup.

The Lady Eagles closed out their six-game home stand tonight and must now return to the traveling highways, where they will now reverse it and battle a six-game road slate. They will head to the mountains of North Carolina to face the Bulldogs of UNC Asheville on Friday, Jan. 22 at 7 p.m. It has been a tough battle between both teams, who have met only twice. The series is split with each team taking home a win at 1-1.

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