Nicole Cooper Scores Game/Career-high 23 points as UDC Succumbs to Shaw, 65-48
Washington, DC : December 14, 2009: Senior guard Nicole Cooper (Fort Washington, MD) scored a career and game-high 23 points tonight in the University of the District of Columbia's Women's Basketball Team's loss to the Shaw University Bears in the Sports Complex. Cooper connected on 7 of 13 three- point shots for 21 of her total points .
Shaw had more balanced scoring with four players reaching double figures. Tanisha McGaughey led the Bears to the win with 17 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists and 1 steal; Janelle Harrison followed with 16 points 3 rebounds , 2 assists and 3 steals, and Victoria Tanner scored 13 points and grabbed 6 rebounds. Quaticqua Johnson added 12 points and 2 rebounds.
Shaw led the all the way after making a 10-0 run early in the game to take a 10 point lead at the 16:34 mark. UDC came back with a 5-0 run to cut the lead to 5, but Shaw responded by making two free throws to get it back up to 7. Cooper then made the first of her 3-pointers to get UDC to within 4, and junior guard Lillian McGill (Sumter, SC) made a layup, was fouled and made the free throw to cut the lead to 1. Other than a tie at 1, early in the game, that was as close as UDC would get in the half and eventually the game.
Shaw went into the break leading 33- 26, shooting 34 percent in field goals (11 for 32), 27 percent (4 for 15) from behind the arc and 70 percent ( 7 of 10) from the charity stripe.
UDC shot 35 percent ( 9 for 26) from the field, 57 percent (4 for 7) from three point range and 57 percent (4 of 7) from the charity stripe in the first half.
Shaw opened the second half with a14-2 run to increase their lead to 20. UDC responded with 6-0 run to get the lead down to 11 with 5:22 remaining, but turnovers and missed free throws doomed the Firebirds to defeat. UDC had 21 turnovers and shot only 50 percent ( 7 of 14) from the charity stripe for the game, while Shaw had 18 turnovers and shot 73 percent (19 of 26) from the free-throw line.
Shaw made 20 points in the paint to UDC's 16 and converted ten 2nd chance points to UDC's 8. The UDC bench outscored Shaw's 9 to 3.
McGill was the only other Firebird to reach double figures, dropping in 14 points and grabbing 14 rebounds for her 7th double double of the season. She also made 1 assist and 2 steals. Freshman guard Ty Abilla scored 5 points , grabbed 2 rebounds and made 1 steal.
UDC dropped to 3-8 with this loss and Shaw improved to 5-1. UDC will see action again on Sunday, December 20, at home against Valdosta State College, at 2 p.m.