Dover, Del. (Jan. 11, 2010) ---
Brittany Washington had 18 points in just 23 minutes of action, and the Hornets would need every one of them as the Delaware State Lady Hornets defeated the South Carolina State Bulldogs 51-50 on Monday night at Memorial Hall in Dover.
Washington would be the standout for the Hornets (3-12, 1-1 MEAC), picking up 10 boards as well for her third double-double of the season. Freshman forward Kianna D'Oliveira also had a career day, tying a career high with nine points and adding a career record with seven rebounds.
In what was a back and forth first half, the Hornets stood steadfast with their defense, which entered the contest #1 in the MEAC. The 24-20 lead for DSU at the break was attributable to the 13-5 turnover differential between the sides, buoyed by six steals by the red and blue. But the Hornets were unable to convert those opportunities to a larger lead, shooting only 8-28 from the floor in the opening half.
The second half would see more back and forth basketball in a game that would see 11 ties and 14 lead changes. No team could get more than five points clear, which DSU did at 41-36 after a pair of D'Oliveira free throws. But an 8-1 run by the Bulldogs (5-9, 0-2 MEAC) would follow, and the Hornets saw themselves down two with seven minutes to play.
With 1:14 to go, junior guard Stephanie Brush would be fouled after corralling a rebound, making one of two free throws to give DSU a 49-48 lead. A missed jumper by SCSU's Lauren Johnson would be followed by a Cortney Crockett turnover, and Washington would be whistled for a close foul on Whitney Wiley under the rim with 29.9 to play. Wiley converted from the charity stripe to give the visitors a 50-49 advantage with the shot clock turned off.
With 17.9 seconds left and down 50-49, Hornet coach Ed Davis called his final timeout to draw up the final possession for the Hornets. It would be the perfect call as Selena Galloway would catch at the top of the key, drive past her defender and get to the paint, forcing the Bulldogs defense to rotate and leave Washington wide open under the basket for the go-ahead hoop with 5.7 seconds to go.
"At the end of the game Selena did a great job of keeping her head up and getting me the ball," said Washington. "Even after a big turnover late, we stayed focused, and all that matters is about winning. It helped us in the MEAC so by getting this win, we can feed off this and keep going forward."
Wiley would catch the inbounds pass with 5.7 seconds to go and drive all the way down the right side of the floor and get to the glass, but she couldn't convert the contested layup, and the horn sounded before a tip was available.
DSU looks for their first MEAC road win against Bethune-Cookman on Jan. 16th at 2 p.m. Check back with DSUHornets.com for all the information on the Lady Hornets this season.
