RICHMOND, VA – The Chowan Women's Basketball team picked up a big win against CIAA North foe Virginia Union University Monday Night.  Ransheda Jennings and Talaya Lynch led the Hawks to a 58-40 road victory against the Lady Panthers.  Chowan moves to 13-11 overall (10-6 CIAA, 8-2 North) with the win.  Following the loss, VUU falls to 2-18 overall (2-11 CIAA, 2-8 North).

The Chowan defense limited Virginia Union to just three points in the first 6:40 of the game, as they jumped out to a 5-3 lead.  The Hawks then went on a 9-0 run, sparked by seven consecutive Ransheda Jennings points.  Janell Murphy drained two free throws with 6:52 on the clock to give the Hawks an 18-7 advantage.

Kara Davis drained a jumper with 2:49 remaining in the half to give Chowan their biggest lead of the game to that point, 24-9.  More stifling defense from Chowan held the Lady Panthers scoreless over the final 2:20 of the half.  At the break, Chowan held a 26-11 lead.

Virginia Union was determined to make a game of things, as they scored 8 of the first 10 points of the second half, closing the scoring gap to 28-19 with 16:19 to play.  A Valentina Wheeler jumper with 10:06 on the clock brought the Lady Panthers within five at 34-29. 

Chowan responded to the VUU run by going back to their staple – defense.  They allowed only one point over a 3:45 span midway through the half, en route to opening the game back up, 46-31.  Five straight Najah Harris points put Chowan up 53-35 with 3:18 to play, essentially sealing the win.

Ransheda Jennings drained 14 points on 6-11 shooting for the Hawks.  She also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.  Talaya Lynch tallied 13 points while going 9-10 from the charity stripe.  Brittany Nicholson recorded five steals in the win.  Najah Harris played another effective game, scoring nine points while playing 37 minutes.  Valentina Wheeler scored 12 points to lead the Lady Panthers.

Chowan held VUU to 29% shooting for the game and forced 22 turnovers.  The Hawks dominated the free throw line, shooting 22-29.  Chowan will travel to Lawrenceville, Virginia on Saturday to take on Saint Paul's College at 5:30pm.  Virginia Union will hit the road to take on Livingstone College on Wednesday at 5:30pm.