MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Chowan Women's Basketball team saw a double-digit lead fade away as the Hawks held off their rival, Elizabeth City State, 63-60, in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon.
THE BASICS
FINAL | Chowan 63, Elizabeth City State 60
RECORDS | Chowan 3-1, Elizabeth City State 3-1
LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Hawks Athletic Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Five Hawks registered double-digit scoring led by Keibra Hopkins with 14 points. Destiny Robinson collected her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. Aniah Patterson chipped in with 11 points, while Demetria Bland added 12 and Jayah King-Johnson added 10 points.
Chowan led 39-21 at the intermission, but shot 27.3% from the floor and had 18 turnovers in the second half allowing ECSU to find a way back into the contest.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
Chowan raced out to a 16-3 advantage in the first five minutes of the contest. Destiny Robinson put the Hawks on the board with a layup before a three-pointer and layup by Keibra Hopkins. Robinson added another basket before Jayah King-Johnson posted a layup and Aniah Patterson connected from deep. Hopkins added a layup before the Vikings slowed the run.
ECSU went on a 7-2 run as Imani Hickman posted a layup during the spurt. Keibra Hopkins added a layup and Demetria Bland connected from deep to push the lead to 23-10. ECSU added a pair from the stripe to end the frame, 23-12.
Second Quarter:
The Hawks extended their lead with a 13-2 run to start the frame as Aniah Patterson hit a jumper. Keibra Hopkins added a basket before Patterson connected from deep. Jayah King-Johnson posted a pair of buckets and Destiny Robinson added a jumper to lead 36-14.
Demetria Bland tallied a layup and Jayah King-Johnson picked up a point at the stripe as the Hawks led 39-21 at the intermission.
Third Quarter:
Keibra Hopkins started the scoring in the half with a three-point play. Jayah King-Johnson added a layup before the Vikings went on a 10-2 run to cut the deficit to 46-33. Destiny Robinson contributed a pair during the offensive stall. Aniah Patterson ended the run with a triple along with a layup by Imani Hickman to lead 51-37 at the end of the quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Elizabeth City State went on a 10-0 run to start the quarter to cut the deficit to four, 51-47, with 7:04 remaining. Demetria Bland notched a layup to put the Hawks on the board in the quarter. Bland picked up a pair from the stripe as the Vikings rattled off eight straight points to take the lead 57-56.
Demetria Bland connected from the floor with a jumper to hand the lead back to the Hawks, but the Vikings answered on their next possession. Bland went 1-2 from the stripe to even the score at 59-all with 1:33 remaining.
A pair of Viking turnovers led to a pair of freebies by Reagan Wilson, 61-59. ECSU had a chance to even the score again with 10 seconds remaining but went 1-2. An offensive rebound after a pair of missed free throws by the Hawks helped Destiny Robinson add a pair from the stripe to push the advantage to 63-60.
ECSU's last possession would end with a partially blocked shot by Destiny Robinson to seal the victory.
UP NEXT
Chowan opens up Conference Carolinas play on Tuesday, November 22 as the Hawks travel to Florence, S.C. to take on Francis Marion. Tip-off is slated for 5:30pm.
