Rebounding, Aggressive Defense Leads to Decisive Season-Opening Win vs. GCU

NYACK, NY – Graduate guard Bria White led all scorers with 21 points in her Firebird debut, helping the University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team earn a decisive, 86-68 season-opening victory over Georgian Court in Game 1 of the East Coast Conference-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Challenge hosted by Nyack College.

White (Homeland Security – Silver Spring, MD/UMBC) connected on her first four shots of the game and finished 7-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-6 from three-point range to lead three Firebird scorers in double-figures. The other two leading scorers finished with double-doubles: 2013-14 First Team All-ECC senior forward Denikka Brent registered 15 points, a career-high-tying 13 rebounds and a career-high seven steals, and junior forward Tatyana Calhoun pitched in with 14 points and 12 rebounds.

UDC (1-0), which out-rebounded the No. 10 ranked Division I Maryland Terrapins, 40-38 in an exhibition last Saturday, enjoyed a plus-20 rebounding differential (53-33) and out-shot Georgian Court 40-percent to 37-percent from the field. The Firebirds forced 27 turnovers which led to 24 points, and turned 21 offensive rebounds into 14 second-chance points.

The Lions (0-1) were led by the perimeter shooting of reserve guard Jess Placher (18 points) and guard Kiara Colston (16 points, five steals). Reserve forward Damaris Hills led the team with eight rebounds.

White scored 10 of the Firebirds' first 16 points as UDC raced out to a 16-9 lead almost five minutes into the action. The Lions responded with an 8-0 run that included a pair of free-throws by Jaelyn Tweedy and back-to-back three-pointers by Placher and Colston, and suddenly GCU had its first and only lead of the night, 17-16, with just under 13 minutes to play.

Over the next six minutes, UDC outscored GCU 16-6 led by senior guard Diamonique Carr (Criminal Justice – Camden, NJ/Harcum) and Brent's combined nine points during the stretch, and UDC led 32-23. Still leading 34-27, UDC claimed its largest lead of the first half after going on a 10-3 run, culminating in a Carr jump shot to extend the Firebirds lead to 44-30. UDC would take a 45-35 lead into halftime.

Helped by two Colston three-pointers, Georgian Court out-scored UDC 15-9 in the first four minutes of the second half to pull within four, 54-50. But three consecutive layups by Calhoun, 2013-14 First Team All-ECC senior guard Telisha Turner and Brent, during a 6-0 run for the Firebirds, helped UDC extend its lead back to double-digits.

UDC still led 67-59 at the 9:55 mark when White's three-point shot kick-started a 14-2 Firebirds surge and ended with White sinking a pair of free-throws to put UDC up 81-61 with 4:31 left to play. The Firebirds went on to win comfortably by an 18-point margin.

Next up, UDC will take on the tournament host, Nyack College tomorrow at 3 p.m.