Firebirds Soar Past Golden Lions, 77-59 to Earn 11th Straight Win

OAKDALE, NY – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team led wire-to-wire in a convincing, 77-59 road victory over East Coast Conference foe Dowling on Wednesday night.

The Firebirds, who are ranked No. 4 in this week's NCAA and D2SIDA East Region poll, have now won 11 straight games and improved to 22-3 overall (15-2 ECC).  UDC's 22 wins thus far with three games still remaining, is already the highest season win total since the 2008-09 season when the Firebirds won a school-record 24 games.

Dowling lost its sixth game in a row with tonight's defeat as the Golden Lions fell to 4-19 overall and 4-13 in the ECC.  The Firebirds have now won the last four meetings between these two ECC foes.

UDC featured a very balanced offensive attack that included five scorers in double-figures, including four starters. Junior guard Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore (Criminal Justice – Newport News, VA/Denbigh HS) led the Firebirds with 14 points on 6-of-8 FG shooting (2-of-3 from three-point range) while also accumulating three assists and two steals. Her backcourt counterpart, senior ShaKena Williams (Accounting – Washington, DC/Frederick CC), who knocked down her first three attempts from behind-the-arc to get the Firebirds off and running on an 11-2 start, finished with 12 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting.

Meanwhile, senior forward Denikka Brent (Mechanical Engineering – Chesapeake, VA/Booker T. Washington HS) had a game-high nine rebounds to go with 12 points and three assists, and senior point guard Telisha Turner (Criminal Justice – Wilmington, DE/Harcum) contributed 11 points and six rebounds off the bench.

The Golden Lions were led by three scorers in double-figures: guards Christine Verrelle (game-highs of 18 points, nine rebounds) and Kristina Surlan (17 points, four steals, three assists) and forward Jessica Kalbfleisch (16 points, seven rebounds). Only seven student-athletes dressed for Dowling, as those three scorers combined for 51 of the team's 59 total points.

The Firebirds shot a sizzling 52-percent (33-of-64) from the field to outpace Dowling's 42-percent (27-of-65) shooting, and they were much more efficient offensively with 13 assists to 12 turnovers compared to 12 assists and 17 turnovers by the Golden Lions. Also, UDC was only charged with seven personal fouls, as the Golden Lions took just two free-throws the entire game and missed both. The Firebirds shot nine free-throws collectively, and made four.

Team depth also played a key role in tonight's matchup as UDC's six reserves combined to score 22 points while Dowling's two reserves managed just two bench points.

Helped by three Williams three-pointers, UDC took a 17-5 lead nearly six minutes into the first half after a made jump shot by Baldwin-Kollore. Surlan helped steer the Golden Lions back into the game with six points during a 10-0 Dowling surge that pulled the hosts within two, 17-15 at the 9:26 mark.

Still just a four-point UDC lead (29-25) near the four-minute mark, the Firebirds closed out the half on a 9-3 surge as Turner made consecutive layups for the final four points of the opening frame, and UDC led 38-28 at intermission.

The two teams traded baskets for the first two-and-a-half minutes of the second half, but with UDC already ahead 47-34, the Firebirds seized complete control of the game with a 21-4 run, resulting in the largest lead of the night, 68-38, near the 11-minute mark. UDC would then cruise to an 18-point margin of victory. 

Next up, UDC will host ECC foe Bridgeport on Saturday, February 21st at 1 p.m.