Firebirds Lose Heartbreaker to Crosstown Rival Bowie State

Photo Album

WASHINGTON, DC – The University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team chipped away at a 17-point second half deficit and ultimately took a 71-69 lead with just under two minutes to play, only to surrender the game's final four points, which included Najee White's buzzer-beating, go-ahead layup to send Bowie State to an exhilarating, 73-71 victory on Wednesday night at UDC Gym.

The Firebirds fell to 1-7 overall (1-3 vs. Division II) with the loss as they have now dropped their last six straight games. Bowie State, meanwhile, has now won four of its last five as the Bulldogs improved to 4-5 overall.

District of Columbia was led offensively by senior transfer forward D'Angelo Johnson (Mass Media – Washington, DC/Virginia State), who came off the bench to record 16 points and five rebounds. Junior forward Ziad Ashmawy (Economics – Cairo, Egypt/American City College) also added 13 points and seven rebounds while sophomore forward Florent Pontens (Business Management – Tarbes, France/Cheshire Academy) pitched in with 11 points and four rebounds.

Bowie State's Byron Westmorland, who came in leading the nation in scoring at 28.1 points per-game, finished with a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field (5-of-11 from three-point range). Meanwhile, White was a force inside with 16 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Dameatric Scott also added 16 points, four steals and a block.

The first 16 minutes of play saw neither team go up by more than four as the two cross town rivals collided for 11 lead changes and one tie before an explosive run by the Bulldogs right before the end of the half changed the course of the game. After the Firebirds took a 30-29 lead on Ashmawy's layup at the 4:06 mark, Bowie State mounted a 16-0 run to pull ahead, 45-30 with 43 seconds to go in the first half. A layup by District of Columbia senior guard Keith Brooks (Journalism – Queens, NY/Monsignor McClancy HS) just before the buzzer made it a 45-32 score at intermission.

The Bulldogs came out hungry in the second half as White converted a layup and then an emphatic dunk in back-to-back possessions to help Bowie State take its largest lead of the night, 49-32 at the 19:14 mark. But the Firebirds would not  go away, as an Ashmawy layup ignited what amounted to a 19-4 Firebird surge over the next 4:55. Pontens converted four free-throws and a three-pointer during that stretch and junior transfer guard Ralph Watts (Sociology – Peekskill, NY/UAlbany) knocked down two consecutive long-range bombs in culmination, and suddenly District of Columbia trailed by just two (53-51) with 14:19 left to play in regulation.

Bowie State found its answer in Westmorland, as the nation's leading scorer knocked down two consecutive treys and later dished to White for an easy lay-up to lead the Bulldogs on an 8-0 run that pushed their lead back to 10 in just one minute of play. The Firebirds whittled the lead down to five three separate times before mounting a 6-0 run that gave them their first lead since the first half, 68-67, with 5:33 remaining. After three minutes of scoreless play, White knocked down an outside jumper to push the Bulldogs back in front, 69-68, only to have Ashmawy answer at the other end with a runner in the paint to regain the lead for the Firebirds, 70-69. District of Columbia held on the ensuing defensive possession, and then junior transfer point guard Quasim Jones (Business Management – Philadelphia, PA/Johnson CC) earned a trip to the line to shoot two with 1:50 showing on the game clock. He made the first, but missed the second to give the Firebirds a 71-69 lead.

The Bulldogs used just six seconds as Ray Gatling earned a trip to the foul line and calmly sank both to tie the game at 71-apiece at the 1:44 mark. Neither team scored on their next offensive possession, as Ashmawy corralled a defensive rebound with 53 ticks left after a missed jumper by BSU's White. Ashmawy then looked to have an easy layup on the offensive end, but Westmorland came flying out of nowhere to block Ashmawy from behind as White secured the loose-ball rebound. This then set the stage for White's last-second heroics, as Bowie State snuck away with a thrilling, 73-71 road victory.

The Firebirds will look to end their six-game skid as they host East Coast Conference newcomer, Roberts Wesleyan for High School Day on December 15^th at 1 p.m.