MURFREESBORO – The Chowan University Hawks Women's Basketball team improved to 5-0 in the CIAA North with a 60-40 home win over Saint Paul's College Monday night. The Hawks are now 10-9 overall and 7-4 in the CIAA. With the loss, the Lady Tigers fall to 2-15 (1-10 CIAA, 1-3 North).

 

Points were scarce in the first half for both teams, as turnovers and missed shots dominated the first 20 minutes of play. Saint Paul's jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but Chowan's defense took over from there. A Talaya Lynch three pointer at the 14:52 mark put the Hawks ahead 9-6. They would eventually increase the margin to seven after a Najah Harris jumper with 12:21 remaining in the half.

 

The Lady Tigers finally scored at the 11:08 mark, bringing the Chowan lead to 13-8. Before that field goal, the Hawks held Saint Paul's to only two points over the previous eight minutes. Chowan then struggled offensively, going scoreless until the 4:48 mark when Harris nailed a free throw. Despite the offensive drought, Chowan never relinquished the lead, thanks to stifling defense. 

 

Chowan ended the first half on a 9-2 run, capped by a Janell Murphy three pointer with 36 seconds remaining. At the break, the Hawks held a 24-16 advantage. Chowan caused 18 Saint Paul's turnovers in the first half, leading to 14 points. The Lady Tigers held a large rebounding advantage, though, 23-11.

 

Chowan began the second half on an 8-2 run, ending with a Ransheda Jennings three at the 16:37 mark. The Chowan defense once again came to life midway through the second half, holding Saint Paul's scoreless for over seven minutes. During that stretch, a pair of Talaya Lynch free throws and a Ransheda Jennings trey put the Hawks up 40-21. 

 

Five straight Lynch points gave the Hawks a 50-27 lead with 5:41 to go in the half. From there, the teams traded baskets leading to the 20 point Hawks victory. Sophomore Talaya Lynch led the Hawks with 21 points on 7-12 shooting. She also drained three triples. Ransheda Jennings (12) and Brittany Nicholson (10) also scored in double figures for Chowan. The Lady Tigers were led by DeAudra Brown who scored 17 points.

 

For the game, Chowan caused 28 Saint Paul's turnovers which led to 23 points. They also held the Lady Tigers to 32.7% shooting from the field.

 

The Hawks are off until this Saturday, when they host the Lady Trojans of Virginia State University. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm in the Helms Center. Saint Paul's travels to Elizabeth City State University this Thursday for a 5:30pm tip-off.