ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. – Guard Jeanne-Marie Wilson (Jr./Temple Hills, MD) scored 20 of her 22 points in the second half as Saint Augustine's University surged ahead late to nip Elizabeth City State University 73-69 in the CIAA women's basketball opener for the Lady Falcons at the R.L. Vaughan Center on Saturday, January 3, 2015.
The win was the fifth straight for the Lady Falcons, who improved to 1-0 in the CIAA and 7-3 overall. The Lady Vikings fell to 0-2 in the CIAA and 5-6 overall.
Guard Porscha Walton (Jr./Chesterfield, VA) added 17 points, four rebounds, four assists and eight steals for the Lady Falcons, who recorded 13 steals and forced 22 turnovers for 25 points. Forward Briana Arrington (Sr./Richmond, VA) added eight points off the bench and forward Terri Jacobs (Jr./McDonough, GA) pulled down 10 rebounds.
Jadda Jeffries of the Lady Vikings collected 22 points and nine rebounds. Alliyah Floyd had 10 points and Ashley Hughes grabbed 12 rebounds for the Lady Vikings, who made 11 of 29 free throws for 38 percent.
The Lady Falcons led much of the second half, but found themselves trailing 61-59 with 3:42 remaining in the contest. They finished with a flurry, outscoring the Lady Vikings 14-8 for the win.
"We played very hard today," Lady Falcons' Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. "It was our first game back since returning from the [holiday] break. The ladies were winded but we fought hard and didn't give up. I am proud of their effort."
Forward Kaleisha Moore (So./Kinston, NC) started the game-winning run with a three-point play off a follow shot to put the Lady Falcons ahead 62-61. A Lady Vikings' free throw knotted the score at 62, but Wilson converted her third three-point play of the half to put the Lady Falcons ahead for good at 65-62. She scored five points during the final run. Walton scored a key basket and free throw in the last 37 seconds to hold off the Lady Vikings.
Behind 12 first-half points from Walton and eight from Arrington, the Lady Falcons climbed out of an early hole to take a 38-36 halftime lead. Trailing 16-8 early, the Lady Falcons used a 30-16 run to gain control.
The Lady Falcons led 38-32, but the Vikings ended the half with four straight points including a running three-pointer by Jefferies at the buzzer. Jefferies led all scorers in the first half with 13 points.
Wilson caught fire in the second half. She scored 13 points in the first eight minutes of the second half including back-to-back three-point plays to push the Lady Falcons' lead to 56-49.
The Lady Falcons will play their second game in three days when they visit Chowan University in Murfreesboro, N.C., on Monday, January 5, 2015. Tip-off is 5:30 p.m.
"We have to tweak some things on Sunday to get ready for a very solid Chowan basketball team on Monday," Bullard said.
