Firebirds Earn, 66-60 Comeback Win at Daemen for 4th Straight Victory

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AMHERST, NY – The University of the District of Columbia came back from down seven points in the 4^th quarter to earn a 66-60 East Coast Conference victory Sunday afternoon vs. Daemen College at Lumsden Gymnasium. The win is the 4^th straight for the Firebirds who improved to 6-3 overall and 2-0 in the ECC.

Senior guard Tajruba Baldwin-Kollore led all scorers with 21 points on 5-of-13 FG shooting and 11-of-14 shooting from the foul line. She made 8-of-10 at the stripe in the 4^th quarter alone as she added 10 to her total in the closing period. Baldwin-Kollore also registered five rebounds, three steals, two blocks and two assists.

Other key Firebird contributors were senior forward Tatyana Calhoun who hauled in a game-high 13 rebounds (eight offensive) and pitched in 13 points (9-of-10 FT). Senior reserve forward Tiara Goode added 14 points and five rebounds off the bench.

UDC did not shoot well from the field (27-percent) or long range (20-percent), but feasted at the foul line, making 30-of-42 (71-percent). The Firebirds also capitalized for 17 points off of 15 Wildcat turnovers.

Daemen (2-4, 0-1 ECC) was the better shooting team as it made 31-percent from the field and 30-percent from three-point range, but left nine points off the board by making only 61-percent (14-of-23) at the foul line.

All nine Wildcats entered the scoring column but only two – guards Sarah Saba and Leah McDonell - reached double-figures. Saba registered 14 points, six rebounds, four blocked shots, three steals and three assists. McDonell added 11 points, five rebounds and three assists.

In the 1^st quarter, Calhoun knocked down a pair of free-throws a few minutes into the action to give UDC a 4-2 lead. But beginning with a pair of free-throws at the other end by Saba, the Wildcats marched out to a 14-2 run, culminating in a Saba jump shot at 3:37. The Firebirds closed on a 6-2 burst, but still trailed 20-12 at the end of the opening period.

Rachel Pawlak and Jessie Dewaters made back-to-back three-pointers for Daemen in the first two minutes of the second period as the Wildcats matched their highest lead of the game, 26-14. Tiara Goode then scored six consecutive points on three buckets during a 6-1 UDC run to help the visitors pull within seven, 27-20, but the Wildcats responded by scoring the next four, and extended their lead to 31-20 with 1:27 left in the half.  The Firebirds would score the final four points of the half and enter halftime trailing by seven, 31-24.

The 3^rd quarter began with UDC making 6-of-6 at the free-throw line – Baldwin-Kollore, 2-of-2 and Calhoun, 4-of-4 – and following a layup by Calhoun, the Firebirds closed within one, 33-32 after an 8-2 surge.  Baldwin-Kollore kept it a one-point deficit for UDC with a jumper at 3:28, but the Firebirds managed only one free-throw in the remainder of the quarter as Daemen closed on a 7-1 run and went up 45-38 heading into the final quarter.

Daemen's momentum from the end of the quarter seemed to carry over into the 4^th quarter as the Wildcats opened on a 4-0 run and extended their lead to 49-38 two minutes into the period. Over the next 5:30, however, the Firebirds used a relentless, 17-3 run that included 7-of-8 free-throw shooting and a momentum-shifting three-pointer by Jenka Stiasna. The Firebirds took their first lead since the 1^st quarter with a Baldwin-Kollore layup at 3:18, and Calhoun made it 55-52 with a layup at 2:30.

Daemen's Raeann Stilwell stopped the bleeding with a big three-pointer to knot the score at 55, but Stiasna buried another big-time shot from behind-the-arc to put UDC ahead to stay, 58-55, with 1:57 left to play. The Firebirds went on to sink 8-of-10 from the free-throw line to ice the game, as they won by a six-point margin.

Next up, UDC will host ECC foe Molloy on Wednesday, December 16^th at 7 p.m.