University of the District of Columbia Men’s Basketball Survives WAU’s Second-Half Comeback, Wins 88-81

WASHINGTON, DC  –  The University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team allowed a 19-point second-half lead to dissipate after a late onslaught by visiting Washington Adventist forced a 75-all tie in the waning minutes of regulation, but the Firebirds regrouped to come away with an 88-81 victory over their crosstown rival on Wednesday night at UDC Gym.

"For as well as we played in the first half, we were pretty bad in the second half," head coach Jeff Ruland said. "Credit Washington Adventist for never giving up and playing their hearts out in the final 20 minutes. I was glad to see we were able to persevere and get a win."

With the win tonight, District of Columbia concludes its non-conference season with a record of 8-1. The Firebirds are now 11-1 overall, with their only loss coming to Division I foe, Duquesne. WAU fell to 6-8 with the loss.

Senior guard Dishawn Bradshaw (Baltimore, MD – St. Frances Academy) led all scorers with a season-high 31 points as he shot 8-of-14 from the field (5-of-8 3-pt FG) and a perfect 10-of-10 from the foul line. Brandon Herbert (Baltimore, MD – McDonough HS) added 25 points, which included a 5-of-5 day at the charity stripe, and Nigel Munson (Washington, DC – DeMatha HS) registered 17 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Diyaaldin Kelley (Philadelphia, PA – Mariana Bracetti HS) added eight points to go with a season-high nine blocked shots.

The Shock kept the game close for the first 11 minutes of action, but eight straight points by Bradshaw ignited a 26-4 Firebirds surge as the hosts seized a commanding 42-18 lead with just under six minutes left in the first stanza. WAU would close out the half on a 6-0 run, but UDC appeared to be in control, up 47-29 at halftime.

A little over two minutes into the second frame, UDC led 53-34 after a three-pointer by Herbert when things started to take a turn in the visitors' favor.  WAU's Daray Hill, who scored all 17 of his points in the second half, jump-started a 16-0 Shock run which included seven consecutive layups. The last of those layups was Hill's, and it brought the Shock within three, 53-50.

Out of a timeout, the host's responded as Munson and Bradshaw each made a pair of free-throws in back-to-back Firebird possessions to up UDC's lead to seven. Later, with 8:35 left on the clock, another pair of Bradshaw free-throws put District of Columbia ahead, 65-55, but still WAU would not go away. An 8-0 run, highlighted by two consecutive three-point field goals by Marcus Coleman (19 points, nine rebounds) made it a two-point game, 67-65.

Twice, UDC extended its lead to five, but WAU ultimately worked its way into a 75-75 tie (the first since the 18:07 mark in the first half) after Hill made two-of-three during a trip to the foul line. On the ensuing possession, Munson answered for UDC by knocking down a running jumper to put the Firebirds ahead for good. Herbert would later sink three consecutive free-throws after he was fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer, and Munson calmly added two free-throws a possession after that, as UDC grabbed an 82-75 lead courtesy of a 7-0 run. Hill would bury another long-range shot for Washington Adventist to cut the UDC lead to four, but it was too little too late, as the Firebirds hung on for the 88-81 victory thanks to 9-of-9 shooting at the foul line in the final 1:48 of regulation.

UDC out-shot WAU 40-percent to 38-percent from the field and had three less turnovers (12-15) to hold on for the victory despite being outscored 52-41 in the second half. The Shock held a 46-38 rebounding advantage and outscored the Firebirds 42-24 in the paint, but UDC shot better from long range (9-of-22 to 6-of-17) and from the foul line (29-of-25 to 19-of-25).

Next up for UDC is a visit to East Coast Conference foe Dowling on Saturday, January 7 at 3:00 p.m.