Turnovers Plague Firebirds in 74-54 Loss at NYIT

OLD WESTBURY, NY – Twenty-two turnovers committed by the Firebirds was their undoing, as the University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team suffered a 74-54 loss at undefeated NYIT in East Coast Conference play Saturday afternoon at Recreation Hall.

With the loss, the Firebirds' record dipped below .500 at 6-7 overall and 1-2 in league play while the Bears stayed perfect at 11-0 overall and 3-0 in conference.

District of Columbia, which shot 40-percent from the field offensively and held NYIT's leading scorer Nikki Jo Rotolo to less than half her season average (six points), was still within 10 points (62-52) with just over five minutes to go, but the Bears closed the game out on a 12-2 run to win by their largest margin of the afternoon.

Senior guard Janelle Junior (Administration of Justice – Riverside, CA/La Sierra HS) led the Firebirds with 11 points, five rebounds and three assists. Junior point guard Teara Shaw (Health Education – Bronx, NY/John F. Kennedy HS) and junior forward Robin Keke (Biology – Bowie, MD/Bowie HS) each added eight points as well.

The Bears were led by three double-figure scorers, including Alex Venuto's game-high 19 points off the bench. She knocked down a game-high five three-pointers and shot 7-of-14 from the field overall. Charlene Riddick, who shot 6-of-6 from the field and led all scorers with 12 points in the first half, finished with 17 points to go with six rebounds, and Rebecca Lynch registered 15 points and seven rebounds.

NYIT grabbed an early 8-5 lead after a three-pointer by Demitra Apergis, but the Firebirds used a 10-2 surge over the next five minutes to pull in front, 15-10 on a layup by freshman forward Tatyana Calhoun (Environmental Science – Disputanta, VA/Sussex Central HS). Still leading 21-17, the Firebirds then allowed the Bears on a 10-0 run that propelled them to a 27-21 advantage following a Venuto three-pointer at the 7:10 mark. A Keke jumper in the paint just past the five-minute mark capped a 6-0 Firebirds run which tied the score at 27, but NYIT responded with the next eight straight points and closed out the half on a 10-4 run to go up 37-31 at halftime.

The Bears opened second half play on a 6-0 run courtesy of two consecutive Venuto three-pointers, as they increased their lead to 12 just two minutes into the closing frame. The hosts grew their lead to 16 at the 9:12 mark after a pair of free-throws by Rotolo, but a three-pointer by freshman Tiara  Goode (Forensics – Brentwood, NY/B rentwood HS) ignited a 9-3 Firebirds surge to close within 10, 60-50. Still trailing by 10 (62-52) after the second consecutive jumper by Junior with a little over five minutes to go, NYIT scored 10 straight points over the next three minutes to erase any doubt. The Bears, who came in 8^th in the nation in scoring margin at 22.3 points per-game, went on to win by 20 as the Firebirds managed only two points in the final five minutes.

Next up, the Firebirds will host St. Thomas Aquinas on Wednesday, January 9^th at 5 p.m. in their annual "Think Pink" Game.