Firebirds Pull Away Late for Season’s First Victory vs. NYIT; Open ECC Play at 1-0

WASHINGTON, DC – Reigning East Coast Conference Rookie of the Week Kory Cooley erupted for 21 of his team-high 25 points in the second half to help University of the District of Columbia overcome a nine-point second half deficit and earn its first victory of the season, 92-85 over NYIT in both teams' league opener Wednesday night in the nation's capital.

The Firebirds (1-8, 1-0 ECC), winless through eight games heading into tonight's contest, trailed the Bears 58-49 with 12:35 left to play when a conventional three-point play by freshman Andre Williams (Business Management – Maybrook, NY/Valley Central HS) kick-started a 14-5 surge by the Firebirds which forced a 63-all tie with 8:41 still to play in regulation. UDC battled to force two more ties before finally breaking through to take its first lead of the second half with 3:51 remaining, 73-72, courtesy of a three-pointer by Cooley. Two more three-pointers plus a conventional three-point play – all by Cooley – helped the Firebirds pad their lead to six, 84-78 with under two minutes left. UDC then made 6-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch to win comfortably, 90-81.

Cooley (Art – Silver Spring, MD/Calvin Coolidge HS) finished shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range, but more importantly, making his final three, three-point shots at a crucial juncture of the game to help UDC claim what had been an elusive first win of the season.

Also playing key roles in UDC's victory were Williams with a season-high 21 points and five rebounds, senior point guard Quasim Jones (Mass Media Arts – Philadelphia, PA/Johnson CC) with 13 points a team-high five assists, and senior guard Michael Terry (Criminal Justice – Philadelphia, PA/Boston U) with eight points, a game-high 12 rebounds and four assists.

NYIT (2-6, 0-1 ECC) was led by senior guard Darian Hooker, who dazzled his hometown crowd of Washington, DC with game-highs of 26 points and 12 assists. He shot 6-of-18 from the field and 14-of-17 from the free-throw line. Meanwhile, forward Jon Feiler added a double-double as well with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

UDC, which trailed NYIT 41-38 at the half after being out-shot 53-percent to 36-percent from the field, utilized eight offensive rebounds and four fewer turnovers (6-2) to allow for eight more shot attempts in the second half. In that closing half, UDC tripled NYIT (6-2) in three-point field goals as the Firebirds went on to out-score the Bears, 54-44 in the second half. As a result, UDC went on to win by a seven-point margin.

The Firebirds will look to improve to 2-0 in league play as they host ECC foe LIU Post on Saturday, December 13^th at 3 p.m.