MURFREESBORO, N.C. – Mariah Coker drained back-to-back three-pointers from the corner to propel the Hawks to an 85-76 victory over CIAA newcomer, Claflin, at home on Saturday afternoon.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 85, Claflin 76

RECORDS | Chowan 4-4 (1-0), Claflin 4-4 (2-1)

LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Helms Center)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Mariah Coker went 5-6 from behind the arc for a game-high 23 points.  Coker added eight assists.

Jada Lee tallied 14 points, while Jahkeria Bagby and Kaylah Henderson chipped in with 11 points.

Danielle Weldon recorded nine points and nine rebounds.  Joanne Williams hauled in 12 rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Quarter:

Chowan led 8-2 early as Jahkeria Bagby tallied the first four points for the Hawks.  Danielle Weldon and Jada Lee added a bucket during the run.

The Hawks would double up the Lady Panthers, 16-8, as Mariah Coker knocked down a triple and two freebies by Danielle Weldon.

Kaylah Henderson tallied the final four points in the quarter for the Hawks to lead 20-10.

Second Quarter:

Back-to-back buckets by Joanne Williams to start the quarter allowed the Hawks to lead 24-10.  Mariah Coker connected from deep and a jumper by Jahkeria Bagby stretched the lead to 16, 29-13.

Both teams traded buckets during the middle of the quarter as the Hawks maintained their double-digit lead.  Claflin finished the final 3:13 on a 14-5 run to narrow the gap to 40-34 at the break.

Third Quarter:

Claflin cut the deficit more to start the second half, 40-37 but a 7-0 spurt by Jada Lee with two jumpers and a three-pointer pushed the lead back to double-figures.

Back-to-back layups by Kaylah Henderson offset the Claflin spark.  Mariah Coker knocked down a triple to push the lead to 15, 57-42 midway through the quarter.

From the Coker triple, Claflin went on a 19-2 run to close the quarter and take the lead 61-59.

Fourth Quarter:

Kaylah Henderson regained the lead shortly for the Hawks with a triple in a back-and-forth quarter.

Both teams traded the one possession lead over the next several possessions.  Mariah Coker knocked down a three-pointer with 3:11 to give the Hawks a four point lead, 74-70.  On the next possession, Coker repeated her action to push the lead to five, 77-72, following a Claflin bucket.

Danielle Weldon and Joanne Williams recorded the final buckets for the Hawks to give Chowan their first CIAA win of the season.

UP NEXT

Chowan takes a step out of CIAA play to face UNC Pembroke on December 4.  Tip-off is slated for 5:30pm.