University of the District of Columbia Women’s Basketball Continues to Roll, Defeating University of New Haven 65-61. Firebirds Advance to 7-0 on the Season.
West Haven, CT – The University of the District of Columbia Women's Basketball Team traveled to West Haven, CT to take on the University of New Haven. UDC used two 11-4 runs and stifling defense to gain control of the game on the road in the Charger Gymnasium. The Firebirds return to Washington, DC tonight with a 65-61 victory and a still unblemished record. With the win the Firebirds advance to 7-0 on the season, while the Chargers drop to 2-7.
The game started out tight with neither team gaining much of an advantage. New Haven held a slight upper hand in the early goings, and they were able to take the lead by six with a score of 27-21 at the 5:08 mark in the first half. UDC went on a 11-4 run to close out the first half and take a lead into the locker room 32-31. The first seven minutes of the second half was a battle, with neither team able to pull away. At the 13:12 mark in the second half, the Firebirds held a 39-37 lead. The contest remained close up to the 6:35 mark when UDC held a one point advantage at 50-49. The Firebirds were able to put together another 11-4 run to gain control of the contest with only 2:23 to play and a 61-53 lead. That second 11-4 run proved to be the difference for UDC, and they never faltered the rest of the way. UDC was able to hold on for the 65-61 win, their seventh win in a row this season.
UDC was paced yet again by one of the most athletic players in the country in junior guard Jamilia Bonner (Mobile, AL – Williamson HS) who tallied 20 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals on the day. Senior guard Lauren Brittingham (Washington, DC – Oxon Hill/Potomac High School) scored 15 points and 4 steals, while Junior guard Janelle Junior (Riverside, CA – La Sierra HS) chipped in 13 points for the Firebirds.
Head Coach Lester "Jay" Butler had this to say about the road win, "Any time we can get a win on the road it is a good thing. We didn't shoot the ball that well tonight, and we were outrebounded, but we defended well and hit some key shots down the stretch. Lauren [Brittingham] came off the bench and gave us some really good minutes and production. We are looking forward to our first conference game ever on Saturday!"
The Firebirds return to action on Saturday in their first East Coast Conference (ECC) game in the history of the Women's Basketball program. UDC Takes on St. Thomas Aquinas on the road at 1:00 pm. UDC fans can listen to the game live by visiting the website at www.udcfirebirds.com.