Firebirds Outlast Soaring Redhawks in ECC Battle; Claim 1st Place in ECC with 8th Straight Win

ROCHESTER, NY – No more than six points ever separated these two, top-tier East Coast Conference foes as the Firebirds and Redhawks collided for eight ties and nine lead changes before the University of the District of Columbia pulled away late to earn a 68-62 road victory over Roberts Wesleyan Sunday afternoon at Voller Athletic Center.

This marks the 8^th straight victory by the Firebirds – tying the program's longest win streak since the 2011-12 season. Also, UDC (19-3, 12-2 ECC) claimed sole possession of 1^st place in the ECC standings with Queens falling to Mercy on Saturday afternoon. The Redhawks, who had won nine of their last 10 games, including their last four, fell to 14-5 overall and 9-4 in league play.

The ninth and final lead change occurred at the 7:42 mark of the second half when senior guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum) put the Firebirds ahead for good (50-49) with a jumper that kick-started a 7-0 run and propelled UDC to a six-point lead, 55-49 with 6:15 still to play.

Later, Roberts Wesleyan's Marissa Sell converted a layup to cap a 5-0 Redhawks surge that brought the hosts within one, 61-60 at the 1:30 mark. Again, Turner knocked down a clutch shot – this time from three-point range with under a minute remaining – and after an offensive rebound allowed UDC to possess the ball for almost 40 seconds. Guards Shantrel Oliver (Criminal Justice – Columbia, MD/Chesapeake College) and Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore each sank a pair of free-throws to ensure the victory.

UDC senior forward Denikka Brent tied for the game scoring high with 21 points while also registering 10 rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and two assists. Baldwin-Kollore finished with 18 points, eight rebounds and three steals, and Turner added 10 points off of the bench.

Sell and her frontcourt mate Samantha Courtney headlined the Redhawks' attack as Sell finished with a double-double of 16 points and 12 rebounds while Courtney registered 21 points and nine rebounds.

The Firebirds' defense held RWC to 33-percent shooting (18-of-54) and 25-percent (3-of-12) from three-point range while they shot a bit better from the field (43-percent) and much better from long range (44-percent). Rebounding, assists and turnovers were all virtually even, but the Redhawks managed to keep the game close with far superior free-throw shooting. Roberts Wesleyan made 23-of-26 at the free-throw line (89-percent) while UDC made just 10-of-17 (59-percent).

UDC returns to the nation's capital having won five straight games on the road, as the Firebirds will host Queens in a marquee ECC showdown Wednesday night at 5 p.m. The game will be part of a celebration of National Girls & Women in Sports Day and feature a halftime ceremony to commemorate and honor the historic 1975 game between Federal City College and the Chinese Women's National Team.