WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The defensive pressure of the Chowan Women's Basketball in the second and third quarter helped propel the Hawks to a 77-72 victory over Winston-Salem State on the road in CIAA action on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 77, Winston-Salem State 72
RECORDS | Chowan 9-6 (4-1), Winston-Salem State 7-7 (3-2)
LOCATION | Winston-Salem, N.C. (Gaines Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Danielle Weldon led the offensive attack with 22 points on 10-15 shooting from the floor. Weldon hauled in a team-high nine rebounds. Joanne Williams tallied 14 points going 6-7 from the charity stripe.
Mariah Coker, Jada Lee and Olivia Gaither registered double-digits.
The Chowan defense forced 23 turnovers by the Rams and collected 15 steals on the afternoon led by Mariah Coker with five. Kaylah Henderson registered two steals in the final minute of play.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
Jada Lee put the Hawks on the board early connecting from deep off a pass from Jahkeria Bagby. Danielle Weldon posted back-to-back buckets to keep the Hawks even with the Rams, 7-all.
The Rams went on a 12-2 run to lead by double-digits, 19-9, to force a Chowan timeout. Joanne Williams tallied the lone bucket during the offensive stall.
Joanne Williams would end the Rams' run with a put-back. Mariah Coker closed the gap to 21-14 with a triple, but the Rams would answer on the other end to push the lead back to double-figures, 24-14.
Second Quarter:
Jordan Pettaway posted the first bucket of the quarter to trim the deficit back to single-digits. Danielle Weldon continued to score in the paint with three straight buckets to pull the Hawks within five, 28-23.
Following the media timeout, Sydnee Neal registered a block leading to a Mariah Coker triple on the other end to close the gap to 29-26 and forced WSSU to call a timeout.
The Rams would end the run with a bucket, but Jordan Pettaway and Danielle Weldon teamed up for a pair of buckets to close the gap to one, 31-30.
Olivia Gaither knotted the score at 33-all with a three-pointer. A quick 5-0 run by the Rams was countered by a jumper by Danielle Weldon and a bucket by Olivia Gaither. Jordan Pettaway posted a bucket to close the gap to 41-39 to end the half.
Third Quarter:
Mariah Coker knocked down a three-pointer to start the scoring for the Hawks in the second half. Danielle Weldon gave the Hawks their first lead of the contest since the first quarter with a layup, 44-43. Weldon added a put-back and Olivia Gaither stole the in-bounds and scored to extend the lead to 48-43.
Joanne Williams gave the Hawks their largest lead of the contest, 50-43, with a layup. The Rams closed the gap with two straight buckets. Williams converted 3-4 from the stripe to counter the Rams.
Jada Lee picked up two points from the stripe and Mariah Coker swiped the pass and converted the layup before Danielle Weldon stretched the lead to double-digits, 59-49, to force a WSSU timeout.
A small run by Winston-Salem State closed the gap to 59-53 heading to the final quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Olivia Gaither traded a three-pointer with the Rams to open the quarter. Joanne Williams found a cutting Jada Lee for the layup to push the lead to 64-56.
Chowan continued to work in the paint as Joanne Williams converted the old-fashioned three-point play. The Hawks would pick up points at the charity stripe to maintain the multiple possession game.
WSSU closed the gap to 69-67 with 2:27 after the Rams missed the back-end of the three-point play. Joanne Williams pushed the lead back to five, 71-67, after converting from the stripe.
The Rams had chances down the stretch to pull the contest closer, but failed to convert from the stripe. Kaylah Henderson stole a pass to force the Rams to foul with under a minute to play.
Jada Lee and Mariah Coker connected at the stripe for a pair before WSSU knocked down a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 75-72. Lee knocked down another pair from the stripe before Kaylah Henderson sealed the win with a steal on the final possession.
UP NEXT
Chowan will wrap up the road swing on Monday, January 14 as the Hawks face Livingstone in Salisbury, N.C. Tip-off is slated for 5:30pm.
