No. 18th Ranked UDC Women’s Basketball Team Defeats Cheyney, 57-56, for 12 In a Row

Cheyney,PA: February 2, 2009—With nine seconds remaining in the game, senior guard DeVaughn Hailey (Camden, NJ) hit a jump shot to lift the No. 18th ranked University of the District of Columbia Women’s Basketball Team to a, 57-56, win over the Cheyney University Wolves tonight at Cope Hall in Cheyney, Pennsylvania, and their 12th win in a row. Hailey scored 9 points, grabbed one rebound, and made three assists in the very close game, in which sophomore center Lillian McGill (Sumter, SC) led with 13 points, and eight rebounds.

UDC made 20 of 51 (39%) shots from the field, and 16 of 20 (80%) from the charity stripe, but hit only 1 of 12 (8%) from beyond the arc, in the win. Cheyney led 21-19 at the half-time break.

After shooting just 23% from the field in the first half, the Firebirds literally caught on fire in the second half to raise their completion rate to 62% (13 for 21) from the field and 84% (11 of 13) from the free-throw line. McGill, who scored only three points in the first half, hit her stride in the second half, scoring 10 points and collecting three rebounds.

Although McGill was the only Firebird to reach double figures, there was more balanced scoring from her teammates to help pull out the win. In addition to Hailey’s 9 points, senior guard LaQuanda Brandon (Washington, DC) scored 8 points, junior guard Nicole Cooper (Ft. Washington, MD) scored 7, and senior guard Deyshia Williams (Camden, NJ) , junior guard/forward Tamara Watkins (Penns Grove, NJ) and freshman forward Stacy Griffith (Fredericksburg, VA) scored six points apiece to help win the game.

Lutfiya Muhammad scored a game-high 19 points to lead the Wolves in scoring, followed by Stephanie Orji with 10, while Angel Stephens and Martina Randal added 7 apiece. Cheyney shot 37% from the field for the game, 59% from the charity stripe and 17% from beyond the arc.

UDC improved to 18-2 for the season with this win, while Cheyney dropped to 9-7. UDC returns to the court on February 5, in a re-match against Elizabeth City State University in Elizabeth City, NC. UDC defeated Elizabeth City, 80-56, in Washington on January 15th