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| Brandon Ennis' late FT clinches UDC's 4th win |
The University Sports Complex was jumpin' last night as the UDC Firebirds rallied to defeat ECC rival LIU Post 83-79 behind a standout effort from junior Ralph Watts (career-high 23 points) and a furious 16-0 run in the second half. The win, UDC's second straight at home, improved the Firebirds' record to (4-18, 3-11 ECC.)
This season has been no picnic for head coach Jeff Ruland and his team; but you have to admire their heart and competitiveness of late. After going in at halftime up 39-36, UDC allowed the Pioneers to shoot at will from the perimeter (LIU hit 8 of 14 3's in the 2nd half) eventually falling behind 74-64 with 5:52 left in the game. That's when things started to get interesting.
Junior guard Michael Terry scored six points in less than a minute; and suddenly UDC was down only four. Watts hit his fifth trey (he shot an incredible 5-6 from beyond the arc) with 2:24 remaining to put the Firebirds ahead 77-74; and from there, UDC's shutdown defense did the rest. In addition to Watts' 23, Terry scored 19 and point guard extraordinaire Quasim Jones added 17. Jones and Terry also had 5 assists each. Tobin Carberry led LIU Post with 16; and junior Vaughn Allen (7 points) became the 21st player in his school's history to score 1,000 points.
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| Head coach Jeff Ruland spurs Firebirds late run |
UDC shot an impressive 51.7% from the field and a whopping 44% from 3-pt. distance. On defense, the Firebirds forced 15 turnovers (9 in the first half) but gave up 13 threes (56.5%) and were out-rebounded 37-29. I can't recall a more exciting game all season. UDC looks to make it three straight at home this Saturday, as they host Dowling (9-12, 6-7) at 3:00 PM in the ECC Doubleheader of the Week/Hall of Fame Game. The Golden Lions had their way with UDC last month 83-67; but I'm predicting a big dose of payback this weekend.
Click here for last night's box score.
