March 9, 2010

Final Stats |  Photo Gallery - MEAC Opening Round vs. Norfolk State 

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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - The Lady Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman women's basketball opened play on a strong note at the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Championships, Tuesday, at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The sixth-seeded Lady Wildcats faced off with eleventh seed Norfolk State. The first half turned out to be a grind-it-out struggle, but B-CU separated late in the half, creating a nine-point halftime advantage. In the second-half, B-CU had a slow start but pushed back out once they got rolling, holding off several NSU rallies to get back into the game. The Lady Wildcats went on to victory, 76-66, claiming their first tournament win since 2005-06.

"My hat goes off to Coach Debra Clark and Norfolk State. They came out and played hard," said B-CU Head Coach Vanessa Inge, "they made us play extremely hard. Our girls came back and played well down the stretch."

In the first half, the Lady Wildcats ran into a struggle, facing an 0-16 (in MEAC) Norfolk State team with something to prove. The score traded hands eight times in the opening period, in addition to seven times that the score came tied. NSU got off on their own hot streak early in the game, leading by as many as five in the first five minutes. However, B-CU got rolling and took a brief lead before the teams traded scores until the three minute mark. B-CU broke the tie and held NSU scoreless, finishing out the half with a 9-0 run.

If not for their defense, the Lady Wildcats may have found trouble early in the second half. B-CU went scoreless for nearly the entire first five minutes of second half play. Despite the drought, they still maintained a slight advantage. As B-CU got the first points on the board, they launched into a small 7-2 run to extend their lead. Sarah Bolden came on strong in the second half, both scoring and hitting the boards to make an impact in B-CU keeping NSU at an arm's length. Each time that the Spartans would bring it close, the Lady Wildcats successfully hit scoring spurts to keep them at safe distance. As the half wound down, B-CU got it done on the line, making all of their free throws in the final minute to hold off NSU and win, 76-66.

"Sarah Bolden scored well for us," noted Coach Inge. "We needed her in the paint tonight, and she came through with flying colors. At any time, our players can score in double figures. We are a team and we feed off each other."

Sarah Bolden shot 62 percent from the field to score a season-best 21 points and lead the Lady Wildcats. Bolden also was the co-leader on the boards with 9 rebounds. Jalisa Isaac followed with 17 points, including three key perimeter shots, and leading the scoring in the first half. Jasmine Daniels collected 14 points and 8 assists, while shooting 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Demetria Frank was the final Lady Wildcat in double figures, with 10 points and 5 steals. B-CU was just a hair off from all starters in double figures, as Euneshia Proctor tallied 9 points, while co-leading in rebounds, also with 9.

Prior to the game, Lady Wildcats Head Coach Vanessa Inge was honored by conference officials for earning the 2010 MEAC Coach of the Year honor.

Grabbing their first tournament win in six seasons, the Lady Wildcats take a day’s rest before their next competition. Up next for the Lady Wildcats is another shot at Morgan State, 12 p.m. on Thursday, March 11. In their only meeting this season, B-CU traveled to Baltimore to face the Lady Bears, winning 79-68. However, the Lady Wildcats were at one point down 18 late in the first half, and went to the locker room down 11. It took an amazing 49-point second-half performance to send the Lady Wildcats to victory. Morgan State's senior guard Corin Adams was selected as the MEAC Player of the Year.  Look for Coach Inge to have the ladies ready to roll against the bears.