Wildcats slaughter Bison 65-50

Karsceal Turner – I Got Next!

Home is where the heart is, there’s no place like home, and we must protect this house! All these slogans came to mind as I watched the Wildcats butcher the Bison of Howard University. You’ll recall how (as a B-CU hoops alumni), I was discouraged by the way the Wildcats had not taken care of home properly.

Handling business at home

I dare say it seems the team got my message. The Wildcats (10-16 overall, 5-6 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference)  came out shooting and jumped out to early leads and even led by as many as 13 at 28-15 before settling for a 33-21 halftime lead. After the dust settled, the Cats cruised to a 64-50 win in historic Richard V. Moore gymnasium Monday.

B-CU never fell behind while playing in front of one of the most raunchy and loud gyms in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). It was nearly standing room only folks, AND the Marching Wildcats Pep band was in the house blasting B-CU favorites during every timeout (they sat directly across from the Howard bench. Whew! This is how I remembered the games back in the day.

Scotland was “Ballin”

It was an overdue, favorable shooting night for Paul Scotland. The senior point-guard scorched Howard for a solid 4-7 shooting from beyond the three-point arc, (dig my picture of his fluid jumper). He was six of nine from the field but missed his only free-throw attempt. Obviously he didn’t get to the line a lot because he was busy “stroking” it from outside. Scotland finished with 16.

B-CU head Coach Gravelle Craig is used to seeing Scotland light it up. “He did a good job. He is a senior and he is experienced. He is a streaky shooter but he got going early. With Ricky Johnson out it’s an opportunity for him to get some more minutes.” He said.

Malik Jackson, Javoris Bryant and Adrien Coleman each added 12 points for the Wildcats. It was evident they had some conversation during practice. As a result, it seems “THE GRIT” has returned to the locker room and in practice.

Oh yeah, Mike Phillips had 13 for Howard.

B-CU will have two more opportunities to “defend this house” as the Cats host South Carolina State Saturday at 4 p.m. and league champion Savannah State next Monday. Here are a few words to capitalize on what I just wrote from Coach Craig:

“I talked to our team about our last three home games and last five games. I told them we have to gain momentum now. A lot of teams that play well going into the tournament often win it.”

B-CU is currently ranked eighth in league play with five games left before the MEAC Tournament and March Madness!

B-CU Women non-existent against Howard in 61-27 de-clawing

Maaaaannn! At first I wasn’t even going to cover this piss-poor performance. However, since I suffered through it, I decided to write about it. After all, it’s just good journalism. Be warned, I’ve nothing good to say so I’ll keep it short.

For starters, how does six first half points grab ya? Second, this was the lowest offensive output by a women’s team in B-CU history. B-CU made just one field goal in the opening half. In contrast Howard forced 16 Lady Wildcat turnovers in opening up a 31-6 halftime lead. The second half was no better. They were eight for 28 in field goal percentage, and one for six in threes.

Jasmine Evans led the Lady Wildcats with eight points, followed by Terrenisha Hollis with six. Shakeyia Coyler grabbed 11 rebounds. “We really didn’t shoot the ball well tonight and we didn’t play with a lot of energy with too many turnovers. We just have to come out and play with energy no matter if we are making shots or not. We also have to take care of the basketball.”

None of B-CU’s top scorers hit nary a shot, the result was a 61-27 de-clawing. Coach was not critical but I am. Her face on the bench told the tale.

Hey, that’s all I’m going to say about that folks.

Let us hope the LadyCats bounce the hell back against South Carolina State. Look for me on the boarders of the court with my oversized B-CU letterman’s sweater with the black reporter’s hat and camera in hand. I’m bringing the atmosphere to you raw and uncut cause I got next!