(Dover, Del.) – After guard Shaylon Tarver swished a pair of free throws for the Howard Bison (3-14, 2-2 MEAC) to give her squad its first lead of the night with nine seconds left,  the Delaware State women's basketball team (4-11, 1-1 MEAC) erased its late-game collapse with guard N'Kayah Kersey driving the length of the court only to find fellow senior Amber Bogard underneath the basket for the go ahead bucket as time expired, resulting in a 87-86 victory.  

"We had been running that particular play the last five minutes of the game," said head coach Barbara Burgess of her team's press-breaking offense.  "We switched NaJai (Pollard) and Amber, so Amber was supposed to flash wherever N'Kayah went.  N'Kayah was supposed to attack and it so happened they (Howard) were worried about N'Kayah and they left Amber wide open."

In the eyes of Bogard, who finished with 14 points (6-of-12), six rebounds and a season-high four steals, she did what the coaching staff told her to do, which was to just run where the ball is.

"I just ran and she (Kersey) happened to turn the corner and passed it to me and I just went straight up with it," said Bogard, who also extended her streak of scoring in double figures to eight games.

For Kersey, Monday's contest was the best of her career, totaling 18 points (5-of-8), eight assists and going a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.

"If feels good to get this win," stated Kersey, who sits ninth on DSU's all-time list for most 3-pointers made (76).  "My teammates did a really good job of finding the open spots on the floor. I was doing my job as a point guard."

Leading by as many as 14 in the second half, Delaware State were outscored 28-24 in the fourth quarter, in addition to committing 10 turnovers, which resulted in 15 HU points.  Down the stretch, guard Mikah Aldridge – the MEAC's top percentage holder at the charity stripe coming in (.873) – missed a pair at the line with 22 seconds left, followed by guard Aaliyah Davis fouling guard Imani Bailey behind the 3-point line while shooting on the ensuing possession.

After making two out of three to bring HU within one with 12 seconds left, an erred Aldridge inbound pass intended for Kersey resulted in Tarver being fouled after coming away with the steal.  Despite seeing its lead slip away, the Lady Hornets battled all the way to the final buzzer, literally, with Kersey finding Bogard for the game-winning deuce.

"I just keep telling them to fight and have heart," added Burgess.  "I think the nerves down the stretch got the best of them, but that's okay.  We kept fighting and hung tight to the very end."

Monday's win for Delaware State not only snapped a three-game skid, but it was DSU's first MEAC regular season victory since Davis swished a full-court buzzer beater to defeat Bethune-Cookman last season (Feb. 7), 72-71.

Freshman sensation NaJai Pollard, meanwhile, registered a career-high point total for the second consecutive game for the Lady Hornets, this time pouring in 20 points on a phenomenal 8-for-9 (.889) shooting from the field.  Pollard also added seven boards and a game-high four blocks to her statline, along with draining all four her attempted free throws.

In the case of HU, the MEAC's second leading scorer (17.9 ppg) and rebounder (8.8 rpg) center Victoria Gonzales coming in lived up to the billing, registering a double-double of 32 points (12-of-21) and 12 boards.  Forward Sydni Johnson also recorded a double-double with 10 points (5-of-14) and 10 rebounds, whereas Bailey poured in 20 points (5-of-23), thanks large part to an 8-for-9 (.889) outing at the free throw line.

Coming up, the Columbia Blue & Red will hit the road this weekend for back-to-back games, beginning with South Carolina State on Saturday (2 p.m.).  Last season, Delaware State dropped both regular season meetings to the Bulldogs.  

Stingers     

Delaware State shot a season-best 54 percent (30-of-56) from the field, while holding HU to 37 percent (29-of-78)… The Lady Hornets committed a season-high 30 turnovers, resulting in 40 HU points… DSU shot 75 percent (15-of-20) in the second half on its way to 45 points, which was its highest point total of any half this season… The Hornets recorded a season-high 16 steals, led by sophomore Mikah Aldridge tying a career-high (5)… Senior N'Kayah Kersey's eight assists was the most by any Hornet this season… DSU shot 83 percent (20-of-23) from the free throw…. HU won the battle on the boards, 46-33… DSU's win over HU snapped an eight-game MEAC regular season slide… Delaware State is now 31-48 all-time against the Bison.