Firebirds Third Quarter Rally Falls Short in 61-51 Loss at Daemen

AMHERST, N.Y.- The University of the District of Columbia's women's basketball team wrapped up their N.Y. weekend trip facing off against the current No.1 team in the conference Daemen College. Despite having a breakout quarter in the third, the Firebirds still fell short to the Wildcats in a 61-51 loss. UDC fell to an overall record of 9-9, 5-4 in league play and Daemen improved to 12-3, 10-0 in the ECC.

Latavia Jackson led all scorers with 21 points going 8-17 from the field and 4-5 from the foul line. Destiny Ryles wasn't too far behind with 17 points while grabbing six rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Aiyana Ellis had a team-high nine boards, four steals, and a block.

The Firebirds got off to a slow start in the first half, with the Wildcats outscoring them 34- 24, and taking a 10-point lead into the break.

UDC came out of half-time blazing, shooting at 57.1% from the field while holding Daemen to just 28.6%. Jackson and Ryles would account for the visiting team's 19 out of 20 points scored which brought the game down to a two-possession game in favor of the home team.

Unfortunately, the third quarter's momentum was burnt out in the fourth as the Firebirds struggled to make only 3-13 shots from the field and eventually conceded to the Wildcats.

UDC (9-9, 5-4 ECC) will host Molloy College in their second meetup of the season, on February 2^nd with a tip-off time of 5:00 pm. UDC Athletics is currently not allowing spectators, but the game will be live-streamed on the ECC network.