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| Telisha Turner led all scorers with 19 points |
From our friends at UDC Athletics...
Firebirds Roll Past No. 25 Virginia St. on Homecoming Night for 3rd Straight Win
With two decisive victories already under its belt, the University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team earned a comfortable, 88-62 win over No. 25 Virginia State on Homecoming Night, Wednesday, November 19th at UDC Sports Complex.
The Firebirds (3-0), who were receiving votes for the top-25 national poll coming into the week, came out strong in front of a raucous UDC crowd for the season home opener, jumping out to an early 22-3 lead and continued to out-shoot their opponents en-route to their third straight victory. UDC has won its first three consecutive games of the season by an average of 22.3 points per-game.
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| UDC improves to 3-0 |
Aided by solid free-throw shooting and deadly shooting from behind-the-arc, the Firebirds went on an 11-2 run in the first five minutes of the game. Not even 10 minutes into the action, UDC led 22-3. The Firebirds continued to play strong throughout the first half, and despite two consecutive made three-pointers by Virginia State to end the half, the Firebirds still took a sizable, 41-29 advantage into intermission.
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| Head Coach Jay Butler soaks in another win |
UDC picked up right where it left off in the second half and continued to add to its lead. The Firebirds shot a sizzling, 58-percent from the field and converted 8-of-9 free throws in the second half, and ultimately they outscored Virginia State by 14 in the closing half to secure the easy, 26-point victory.
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| Tatyana Calhoun (#32) added 10 points |
UDC was led offensively by senior point guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice - Wilmington, DE/Harcum), who, in addition to putting up a team-high 19 points, also added five assists. Coming off the bench, senior forward ShaKena Williams (Accounting - Washington, DC/Frederick CC) added 14 points of her own, including four makes from behind-the-arc. Tatyana Calhoun (Architecture - Disputanta, VA/Sussex Central HS) also finished in double-figures scoring with 10 points.
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| Denikka Brent double-doubled with 16 PTS & 10 boards |
On the defensive end, the Firebirds held Virginia State to 38-percent shooting from the field and forced 22 turnovers. (UDC is forcing an average of 24.0 turnovers per-game this season) Denikka Brent (Mechanical Engineering - Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) made her presence known throughout the game as she collected a team-high two blocks, five steals, and 10 rebounds. The reigning ECC Women's Basketball Player of the Week was also a key contributor on offense, adding 16 points and shooting 56-percent from the field.
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| ShaKena Williams scored 14 points off the bench |
The Firebirds return to the court this Saturday, November 22nd, as they square off against Bloomfield College for their second home game of the season. Tip-off is at 1:00 p.m.
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| Bria White scored 9 points, including 2 three-pointers |
Click here for yesterday's box score.
