Firebirds Defeat NYIT in Triple Overtime Thriller

OLD WESTBURY, NY - In a battle of two of the top-tier teams in the East Coast Conference and the entire East Region, the University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team pulled off a remarkable, 98-95 triple-overtime victory on the road at NYIT Saturday afternoon. This marked the first game in program history to exceed one overtime session, and it was the first Firebirds game to not end in regulation since January 28, 2010.

Trailing 95-93 approaching the two-minute mark of the third overtime session, Firebird senior guard Telisha Turner buried a clutch three-pointer to put UDC ahead for good, 96-95. A layup by senior forward Denikka Brent extended the lead to 98-95 with 1:21 remaining, and UDC forced two missed three-point attempts and a turnover in the Bears' final three possessions.

Both teams had opportunities to win the game in the prior two overtime periods. In the first extra session, NYIT's Shannon Duer went to the free-throw line with five seconds remaining, and she made the first to tie the score at 81 but missed the second. Then, in the 2^nd overtime, NYIT's Dina Ragab was at the line with 28 seconds remaining and the score knotted at 92-all. She missed the front-end of a one-and-one, and UDC secured the rebound. On the ensuing Firebirds possession, Shantrel Oliver missed a jump shot, but Tatyana Calhoun was there for the offensive rebound. Her put-back just before the buzzer was blocked, however, by Ragab, forcing the third overtime session.

In regulation, the Bears raced out to a 6-0 start and led 15-6 a little over four minutes into the game. They still led UDC, 28-22 with under six minutes remaining in the first half when junior guard Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore knocked down a three-pointer to kick-start a 17-0 Firebird surge that also included six points by Brent and a three-pointer by ShaKena Williams. The run propelled UDC to the largest lead held by either team in the first half, 39-28, but Ragab's three-pointer right before the buzzer made it 39-31 at intermission.

The second half was played at a frenetic pace as Turner kept UDC ahead by 10 (47-37) with two three-pointers within the first four minutes of action once play resumed. The Bears went on a ferocious, 21-5 run over the next seven minutes, taking a 58-52 advantage after a free-throw by Ragab at the 8:46 mark. NYIT remained in front for nearly the next four minutes until a 6-0 Firebirds run gave UDC back the lead, 66-63 with 4:23 still to play in regulation. The Bears would then respond though, with an 8-0 run, culminating in a Ragab layup to put the hosts up 71-66 with 1:57 remaining.

Brent converted a layup at the 1:36 mark to make it a one-possession game, 71-68. Then, following a blocked shot by Calhoun and a loose ball defensive rebound by junior forward Arielle Ward (Psychology – Springfield, MA/La Salle), UDC quickly called a timeout. On the ensuing Firebirds possession, Turner was fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer, and went to the free-throw line to shoot three. She made only the first, making it a two-point game, 71-69.

The Firebirds were awarded the ball back again at the 39-second mark following an offensive foul by the Bears, and Brent capitalized for UDC with a game-tying jump shot with 21 seconds remaining. Ragab's shot attempt at the buzzer was no good, which sent the game to overtime.

Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) led all scorers with a career-high 31 points, hauled in a game-high 12 rebounds and collected five steals and three blocked shots to steer the Firebirds (17-3, 10-2 ECC) to their sixth straight victory. The win also moves UDC into a tie for first place with Queens (10-2) after the Knights fell to Roberts Wesleyan on Friday night.

UDC, which entered the week ranked No. 6 in the D2SIDA East Region poll and has now won 11 of its last 12 games, also had a career-high scoring output by junior guard Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore (Criminal Justice – Newport News, VA/Denbigh HS) of 26 points on 11-of-19 FG shooting.

The Firebirds also had significant contributions from junior forward Tatyana Calhoun (Architecture – Disputanta, VA/Sussex Central HS), junior point guard Shantrel Oliver (Criminal Justice – Columbia, MD/Chesapeake College) and senior guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum). Calhoun notched her 3^rd double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds, Oliver generated 13 points and a team-high four assists, and Turner came off the bench to score 12 points.

Guard Dina Ragab led four Bears scorers in double-figures with 29 points while also registering nine rebounds and four assists. Also, forwards Shannon Duer (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Audrey Knowlton (12 points, 12 rebounds) both posted double-doubles.

NYIT out-shot UDC 47-percent to 43-percent from the field and out-rebounded the Firebirds 56-47. However, the Firebirds had 16 offensive rebounds and scored 16 second-chance points. UDC also cashed in for 25 points off of 28 NYIT turnovers.

The Firebirds will look to win their 7^th straight game on Friday, February 6^th when they host ECC foe Daemen. Tip-off is at 6 p.m.