District of Columbia Blitzed By Bulldogs in Cross Town Rivalry

BOWIE, MD – Junior transfer forward Lenjo Kilo put up career-high numbers of 32 points and 17 rebounds, but it was not nearly enough as the University of the District of Columbia men's basketball team fell to cross town rival Bowie State, 98-75 on Wednesday night at A.C. Jordan Arena.

Kilo (Biology – Silver Spring, MD/Seton Hill) shot 11-of-19 from the field (1-of-3 from long range) and 9-of-13 from the free-throw line to best his previous career-high of 22 points vs. Shepherd in 2012-13 while he was with Seton Hill.

Also, freshman guard Reggie Sidbury (Social Work – Landover, MD/Charles Herbert Flowers HS) pitched in with 15 points, junior shooting guard Omar Abbas (Electrical Engineering – Alexandria, Egypt/Egyptian American HS) added nine points and three assists, and junior transfer point guard Prince Ritson (Psychology – Greenbelt, MD/Bowie St.), playing against his former team, contributed eight points, four assists and four steals.

Bowie State (6-4) had five scorers reach double-figures, including four of its five starters, as the Bulldogs teamed up for a season-high point total while topping 90 points for the third time this season. Center Carlos Smith and guard Ray Gatling both shot 50-percent from the floor en-route to 20 points scored apiece, along with a combined 10 rebounds, eight assists and five steals. Cameron Knox came off the bench to score 14 points on 5-of-8 FG shooting (3-of-5 from three-point range), and starting forwards Briam Freeman and David Golladay each added 10 points as well.

The Bulldogs were the much more efficient offensive team all night, out-shooting UDC 49-percent (35-of-71) to 40-percent (23-of-58) from the field while also totaling 19 assists to 17 turnovers compared to the Firebirds' 11 assists and season-high 26 turnovers. UDC came into the game averaging just 12.5 turnovers per-game, but the Firebirds uncharacteristically committed more than double that.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Abbas and Sidbury helped the Firebirds claim an early 6-2 with almost a minute-and-a-half played in the first half. UDC still led 10-6 at the 16-minute mark after a pair of free-throws by Kilo, but a 14-4 Bulldog upswing gave the hosts a 20-14 advantage at the 10-minute mark.

Later, another Sidbury three-pointer at the 8:49 mark brought the Firebirds within three, 22-19, but Bowie State converted on its next three straight possessions as part of a 6-0 run to go up 28-19 with 6:29 to play in the opening period. The Bulldogs, already leading 33-26, out-scored UDC 16-8 in the final 3:25 of the first half to equal its largest lead of the half, 49-34, as both teams headed to the locker room for the break.

BSU started the second half on a 7-1 run to take a commanding, 56-35 advantage at the 17:29 mark. The Bulldogs led 64-41 as the game closed in on 14 minutes, but over a six-minute span, Kilo scored 13 points and Sidbury knocked down two three-pointers to lead the Firebirds on a 24-7 march that pulled them back within six, 71-65, with eight minutes still to play.

A pair of free-throws by Kilo with just under seven minutes left kept it a six-point margin, 73-67, but a jumper by BSU's Zafir Williams, followed by a Gatling three-pointer, pushed the deficit back to 11, 78-67, with 6:09 left.  

Still trailing 81-70, the Firebirds were out-scored 17-5 over the final 5:27, allowing the Bulldogs to equal their largest lead at the final buzzer and win by a score of 98-75.

The Firebirds (1-6) will look to snap a four-game losing streak as they host East Coast Conference foe Mercy on Saturday, December 14^th at 1 p.m.