Karsceal Turner-I Got Next!
Lady Wildcats get it together and nip UMES Lady Hawks 55-54
Once again, the ladies set the tone for what would be the catalyst for the evening as the Lady Wildcats had another cliff-hanger Monday night at Richard V. Moore Gymnasium. The University of Maryland Eastern Shore (5-11, 1-4 MEAC) pushed Bethune-Cookman (9-10, 4-3 MEAC) to the final seconds but the Lady Cats held on for a 55-54 win.
I saw the difference from the weekend debacle as B-CU unveiled a shaken-up starting lineup and by the emergence of some young sharp shooters.
B-CU jumped out to a quick start, and opened on a 9-2 run. Three consecutive scoring possessions from the Lady Wildcats, courtesy of Jasmine Evans coming off the bench for three scores and Taylor Houston hitting a pair from the arc, sparked the Lady Wildcats to a 30-22 halftime lead. Still, the Lady Hawks were able to pull ahead briefly near the midpoint of the half.
“Initially in the second half, we gave up so many second attempts to their offensive rebounding, and that’s what really gave us the nod to pull away from us,” Head Coach Vanessa Blair said. “Twenty-six offensive rebounds is a lot, and we talked about that at half time, and we have to do a good job of boxing out. Because we did not do that, it made it really a good game.”
B-CU came out of the locker room shooting bricks, allowing UMES to outscore the Lady Wildcats 7-1 in the first four minutes of the second half, leading to the Lady Hawks’ second lead on Chalyse Taylor’s three with 11:56 to go. The Lady Hawks would lead the next 11 minutes, growing the lead to as many as nine. The game pace stayed high and B-CU was able to get leverage inside, scoring 10 on the fast break, and collecting 26 in the paint.
Terrenisha Hollis made it consecutive games with a double-double, leading the team with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Over the past two games, she has come on strong, scoring 33 points with 21 rebounds, sliding into the number two B-CU scorer position.
“I think she’s done a remarkable job of handling not just the pressure of scoring, but the pressure of teams knowing that she’s a scorer,” Blair said. “They’ve been keying on her and she’s still been able to get her points and rebounds. I’m very impressed with her.”
Your girls Chastity René Taylor and Jasmine Evans totaled three Lady Wildcats in double figures, with 10 each.
Next up is FAMU, who beat B-CU by 16 in Tallahassee.
Better effort enables Cats to out-claw Hawks 58-57
Saturday’s piss-poor performance on the hardwood and a serious conversation between coaches and players, followed likely by enough suicides to make a man puke was enough to shake the cobwebs from the Cage Cats as they dug-in and held on for a 58-57 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victory over Maryland Eastern Shore Monday night.
“This was an important win. We had a team meeting before the game, and we discussed playing harder and more as a team,” said point-guard Ricky Johnson.
Johnson’s free throw with 2.1 seconds remaining saved the game for B-CU. The Wildcats (8-14, 3-4 MEAC) used the last possession to set up a Johnson drive, and the sophomore was fouled going to the basket. The Hawks (1-15 overall, 1-5 MEAC) had a desperation shot, but Ishaq Pitt’s 75-footer bounced off the backboard as time expired. It seems UMES got a taste of what the Wildcats have dealt with to this point.
Adrien Coleman dropped 17 points for Bethune-Cookman, which trailed most of the first half, but managed to lead by seven points on two occasions in the second. After being held scoreless the previous game, your boys Kevin Dukes and Alex Smith returned to true form with Dukes finishing with nine and Alex Smith was good for six points, 10 rebounds and five blocked shots. The Wildcats set a season high for blocks with eight. Johnson finished with 11 points.
See, that is how you frigging bounce back after a loss! Head Coach Gravelle Craig was cool as a cucumber in his squads resolve, but still emphasized improvement. “We just needed to win to get our confidence up. We missed four free throws and had four turnovers in the final two minutes. We need to be better at finishing,” he said.
In true coaching fashion he turned his attention to the next opponent. In this case, arch nemesis Florida A&M. You’ll recall how FAMU bashed B-CU 75-67 on the hill in Tallahassee, (don’t even worry about it) the Wildcats sure as hell do. I’m seriously rubbing my hands together in anticipation folks.
“Florida A&M on Saturday will be a big game,” Craig emphasized. Boys and Girls, it simply doesn’t get any better than this in terms of HBCU basketball. I will be in FULL EFFECT at the baseline, camera in hand because I Got Next!
Pictures were phenomenal! Loved the detail in the writing! I feel like I was right there at both games ! Good wins over UMES…now lets take down FAMU! Great article KT!