Three-Point Shooting Keys, 86-75 Firebirds Win at Shaw

WASHINGTON, DC – The Firebirds made 16 three-point field goals while holding Shaw without a three-pointer all game, as they defeated the host Bears, 86-75 in non-region action Tuesday night at CC Spaulding Gym.

UDC (4-1) bounced back nicely from its first loss of the season Saturday vs. Bloomfield during which the Firebirds shot just 2-of-10 from three-point range and turned the ball over a season-high 24 times. Shaw, which was receiving votes for the WBCA Top-25 National Poll, dropped its second straight and fell to 3-3 overall.

The Firebirds were largely out-rebounded, 49-33 and minimally out-shot, 44-percent to 43-percent from the field; however, UDC made a season-high 16 three-point field goals on 37 attempts (43-percent) while holding the Bears to 0-for-7 shooting from behind-the-arc. UDC also committed only 14 turnovers while forcing 22.

Senior guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum) led all UDC scorers with 27 points on a career-high nine made three-point field goals. She also added a game-high six assists. Graduate guard Bria White (Homeland Security – Silver Spring, MD/UMBC) added five treys and finished with 17 points, and forwards Denikka Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) and Tatyana Calhoun (Biology – Disputanta, VA/Sussex Central HS) scored 10 points apiece while combining for 11 rebounds and seven assists.

Shaw was led by center Verdine Warner, who shot 12-of-17 from the field and 12-of-15 from the free-throw line to finish with game-highs of 36 points and 15 rebounds. Also, guards Mich Brooks and Jonitta Wallace added 14 and 11 points, respectively.

Turner buried her first three, three-point attempts and five of her first seven attempts to propel UDC to an early 19-4 advantage, and UDC never looked back. Turner made all nine of her three-pointers in the first half alone as the Firebirds took a commanding, 56-30 lead into halftime.

UDC maintained a lead of 20 or more for much of the first half, but did allow the Bears to crawl back within seven, 72-65, when Shaw went on a 19-5 run over a six-minute span late in the game. A conventional three-point play by Calhoun at the 4:49 mark helped UDC re-claim a double-digit lead, and Shaw never threatened again from that point on. The Firebirds went on to win by an 11-point margin.

Next, UDC travels north to New Haven, CT to take on Southern Connecticut State on Saturday, November 29^th at 2 p.m.