Firebirds 2nd Half Comeback Falls Short as They Lose, 54-57, to Harding

Pensacola, FL: December 30, 2010—Point guard Jasmine Rich's (Business Management-Willingboro, NJ) 9 -point scoring spurt in the second half of the University of the District of Columbia Firebirds Women's Basketball game, today, was not enough to carry the Team to victory as they fell, 57-54, to the Harding University Bison in the University of West Florida Holiday Classic in Pensacola, Florida.

After trailing, 37-20, at the half, the Firebirds rallied to outscore the Bison 34-20 in the second half, but fell short of the win. The Firebirds found themselves battling not only the Bison, but also the effects of a virus as five of their players suffered from the illness and struggled to finish the game.

Junior forward Stacy Griffith (Architecture-Fredericksburg, VA) led the Firebirds scoring with 12 points, while junior guard Kendra Johnson  (Mass Media-Mt. Laurel, NJ) followed with 10 points, as the only two members of the Team to reach double figures. Graduate student Niqky Hughes (Public Administration- Ft. Worth, TX)added 7 points to the effort.

UDC shot 28 percent (18-65) from the field for the game, 25 percent (7-28) from beyond the arc and 73 percent (11-15) from the free throw line. Harding shot 40 percent (19-48) from the field, 29 percent (5-17) from beyond the arc and 67 percent (14-21) from the charity stripe.

Sierra Rollins scored a game-high 17 points and pulled down 17 boards for a double-double, to lead the Bison to victory. Kallie Bartee followed with 14 points and Bailey St. Clair added 9 points.

UDC held the advantage in points scored off turnovers, 32-18, second chance points, 17-16, and their bench outscored the Harding bench 21-6. Harding out-rebounded UDC 44-40.

The Firebirds (7-5) continue play in the tournament at noon on Friday, December 31, as they face the Tuskegee University Golden Tigers.