Wilberforce Comes From Behind

            Coming into tonight’s (Friday, January 8, 2016) game, The Wilberforce University (WU) Lady Bulldogs possess an Overall 2015-2016 Season Record of 2-13. What does the 2-13 record say about the team itself? The obvious answer is quite clear. The Lady Bulldogs are not having a good season. Of course, I already knew about that fact. Now, a more informative and interesting question would be the following. Are the WU Lady Bulldogs as bad as their record would entail? Surprisingly enough, I would have to say NO. Before I explain, I will first say this. Up until this very moment in the 2015-2016 Season, I have not watched all 15 of the Lady Bulldogs’ games. I only cover the team’s Home Games, and I have to be honest about that fact. Due to previously-scheduled work commitments with “Xenia’s Word On The Street” (www.xeniaword.com), I have not attended all Home Games. Without looking at a Game Schedule, I will say this. If I am not mistaken, I have only missed one of the Lady Bulldogs’ Home Games. That is not too bad. What is the point of the words which I speak? It is simple. Due to the fact that I have actually covered several of the Lady Bulldogs’ Home Games, I consider myself to be a suitable evaluator of what is keeping the team held down.

            What is wrong with the Wilberforce University Lady Bulldogs’ Basketball Team? What seems to be preventing the team from obtaining success? Without heavily getting into the subject, I will briefly say the following. The Lady Bulldogs DO NOT know how to control and finish a game. In the First Half, the team is really good. It is able to hang with the opposing team. WU’s problems arise in the Second Half. In the Second Half, the Lady Bulldogs slow down. As a result, opponents are able to wear them down to the point where the Lady Bulldogs lose any type of momentum. At that point, the opposing teams gain control of the game. They never relinquish that control. Tonight’s opponent is The Saint Mary-Of-The-Woods College (SMWC) Lady Pomeroys. Before I start with game coverage, I must first say the following. The game has already started. However, I just arrived at The Alumni Multiplex (AM). The game’s Scheduled Start Time is listed as being 7:00p.m. Once I arrived inside of the AM, I was quickly informed that the game started at 6:00p.m. I do not understand exactly why that was the case. Regardless, the 1^st Quarter is just about complete. My coverage picks up from there.

            With no time remaining on the clock, Saint Mary’s Ja’Breena Gardner nailed a 3-Point Basket. At the end of the 1^st Quarter, Wilberforce leads SMWC 18-17. As the 2^nd Quarter got underway, the Lady Pomeroys had possession of the ball. Immediately, they turned the possession into something positive. SMWC went on a 6-0 Scoring Run. During the run, the Lady Bulldogs had an alarmingly high 4-Turnovers. The Lady Pomeroys had 1-Turnover. At the 6:38 mark, WU’s Da’Sha’Nay Corley ended the run. She made a 2-Point Basket. After SMWC picked up 2-Points, Corley went on a 4-0 run. Once that run concluded, the Lady Pomeroys did it again. The Lady Pomeroys proceeded to go on a 9-0 run. Gardner scored 4-Points. Callan Taylor scored 3-Points. The Lady Bulldogs committed 3-Turnovers. With 1:42 remaining in the 2^nd Quarter, SMWC possessed a 10-Point Lead (34-24).

            During the First Half’s final 1:24, each team committed 2-Turnovers. Wilberforce went on a 5-0 run. With no time remaining on the clock, WU’s Brooklynn Peterson hit a 2-Point Basket. At the end of the First Half, the Lady Bulldogs trail Saint Mary 34-29. Once again, the game started at 6:00p.m. The scheduled start time was 7:00p.m. Due to no fault of my own, I was late. At the very end of the 1^st Quarter, I arrived at the facility. The story of the 2^nd Quarter was TURNOVERS and SPEED. Both teams are committing Turnovers. However, the Turnovers are hurting Wilberforce more than they are hurting Saint Mary. SMWC’s players are mostly small with a lot of speed. That speed was confusing WU’s Offense and Defense. The speed and coverage of the Lady Pomeroys’ Defense caused confusion within the Lady Bulldogs’ Offense. That confusion led to multiple mistakes.

            From 5:50 to 1:25, Wilberforce was unable to score. Saint Mary went on a 9-0 Scoring Run. Free Throw Attempts/Foul Shots is another issue which is bothering WU (hampering any potential success). The Lady Bulldogs are missing Foul Shots. That means they are missing out on easy points. During the final 1:24, SMWC was unable to score. Wilberforce outscored them 5-0. WU started moving momentum toward its side. Da’Sha’Nay Corley is becoming a problem for the Lady Pomeroys. At the basket, the Lady Pomeroys’ Defense is having trouble with guarding Corley. She is using her size to overpower SMWC. Corley is picking up rebounds and scoring points. As the 3^rd Quarter got underway, Wilberforce had possession of the ball. Up until 7:58, the game was a complete mess. Each team missed 2-Shot Attempts. Wilberforce committed 2-Turnovers. Saint Mary had 1-Turnover.

            At 7:57, Wilberforce’s Kendra Moss made a 2-Point Basket. Sandwiched in-between Saint Mary’s 4-0 run, WU turned the ball over (6:10). With 5:12 on the scoreboard, Moss picked up 2-Points. During the process, she was fouled. After Moss successfully made 1-Foul Shot, the Lady Bulldogs tailed SMWC by 7-Points (41-34). From 4:59 to 3:44, the Lady Pomeroys outscored the Lady Bulldogs 8-2. Tara Parmer and teammate Gardner each nailed one 3-Point Basket. Once Saint Mary was finished, it was WU’s turn. From 3:32 to 2:01, WU went on a 10-2 run. Saint Mary still possessed a 5-Point Lead (51-46). The end of the 3^rd Quarter was just as bad as the beginning. During the final 1:53, the Lady Bulldogs committed 4-Turnovers. The Lady Pomeroys committed 3-Turnovers. SMWC outscored WU 6-4.  At the end of the 3^rd Quarter, SMWC leads WU 57-50.

            As the 4^th Quarter got underway, Wilberforce had possession of the ball. The Lady Bulldogs proceeded to go on a 10-5 run. Saint Mary’s lead was now down to only 2-Points (62-60). At 6:56, WU turned the ball over. From 6:39 to 5:31, the Lady Pomeroys committed 2-Turnovers. The Lady Bulldogs committed 1-Turnover. WU outscored SMWC 6-4. The game was now tied 66-66. At the 5:13 mark, a Timeout was called. Before another Timeout (3:02), WU went on to outscore SMWC 6-4. The Lady Bulldogs possessed a 2-Point Lead (72-70). With 2:41 remaining in the game, the Lady Pomeroys’ Callan Taylor made a 2-Point Basket. That Field Goal tied the game 72-72. With 1:21 on the clock, SMWC’s Mikayla Kinneer nailed a 3-Point Basket. Kinneer’s Field Goal was sandwiched in-between two 2-Point Baskets. WU’s “BIGS” (Da’Sha’Nay Corley and teammate Kendra Moss) each successfully made 1-Field Goal. WU’s lead stood at 76-75.

            With 39.0 Seconds on the scoreboard, Saint Mary turned the ball over. Before a Timeout at 24.2 Seconds, Wilberforce’s Jasmine Johnson made 2-Foul Shots. At 14.4 Seconds, the Lady Pomeroys’ turned the ball over. At the 5.5 Seconds mark, the Lady Bulldogs’ Peterson successfully converted 2-Foul Shots. In the final Field Goal of the game, SMWC nailed a 3-Point Basket. By the Final Score of 80-78, Wilberforce University defeated Saint Mary-Of-The-Woods College. Finally, the Lady Bulldogs put four quarters of quality basketball together. In this game, the young women expressed a true fighting spirit. In order to arise victoriously, WU had to come from behind. At the end of the 2^nd & 3^rd Quarters, WU was trailing SMWC. In past games, the Lady Bulldogs were known to just wither away. As a result, opponents would end up walking away with victories. Tonight, that would not be the case. WU would make sure of that. Better yet, WU’s Lady Bulldogs would make sure of that! From beginning to end, the young women gave a complete, full-game effort. I can respect that. More importantly, I can really respect the young women themselves.