Box Score January 23, 2012

Box Score

MURFREESBORO – A sizzling night from the floor led Chowan University to their first CIAA victory of the season, an 80-72 decision over visiting Elizabeth City State University on Thursday.  The Hawks (7-14, 1-8 CIAA, 1-2 North) shot 29-48 (60.4%) from the floor for the game.  They had assists on 20 of those 29 made baskets.
 
“The doctor couldn't have prescribed anything better,” said Head Coach Dan DeRose.  “Hopefully this gets us a little confidence and now we can build on this moving forward.”
 
Elizabeth City State (9-10, 3-6 CIAA, 1-2 North) shot 45.8% from the field, but only 57.9 from the free throw line.
 
Four players scored in double figures for the Hawks, led by Quinton McDuffie who had 22.  He was 8-12 from the floor and grabbed seven rebounds.  Rickey Lamb notched a double-double, with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
 
“Rickey really stepped up with some early shots and was great on the boards,” said DeRose.  “He really did a heck of a job on the defensive end, which was huge for us.”
 
Lee Branscome drained five three-pointers, leading to 19 points.  CIAA Rookie of the Week Kyree Bethel added 15 points on 5-10 shooting.
 
An early 11-0 run by the Vikings gave them a seven point lead with 13:46 to play in the first half.  That lead ballooned to 22-11 halfway through the period.  An Omar Jones jumper gave ECSU a 32-18 lead, their largest of the game, with just over five minutes on the clock.
 
Then the Chowan offense woke up.  Branscome's first three of the game sparked a 10-0 Chowan run to bring them within four (32-28) with just over two minutes on the clock.  ECSU calmed the storm, though, and went into halftime with a 39-32 lead.
 
That seven point cushion remained for the beginning portion of the second half.  With 13:09 left to play, however, the Hawks mounted a furious comeback and never looked back.  Two straight Branscome treys were a part of a 17-4 spurt.  During the span, Chowan shot 7-9 from the floor and forced four ECSU turnovers.
 
After the run, the Vikings cut the lead down to four on several occasions, but could not get any closer.  Chowan made six of their seven free throw attempts in the final minute to secure the home win.
 
Quintin Spady lead the Vikings with 15 points, including four three pointers.  Omar Jones and Angelo Sharpless each tallied 13.
 
After committing 15 turnovers in the first half, the Hawks coughed it up just five times in the second.  7-11 shooting from beyond the arc led to 48 second half points for Chowan.
 
Chowan will travel to Virginia Union University on Saturday to face the Panthers in a CIAA North Division match-up.  Game time is set for 7:30pm.