Chowan Shoots Past Bowie State 70-61

BOWIE, Maryland -- What a difference 72 hours makes as the Chowan University Hawks handed Bowie State University a 70-61 setback on Tuesday evening in the A.C. Jordan Arena. The loss sets the Bulldogs overall mark at 15-11, 8-6 in the CIAA and 4-4 in the Northern Division.

Senior Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) paced Bowie State with 13 points in the setback.  Junior Tai Marshall (Atlantic City, N.J.) and senior Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) each grabbed seven boards in the loss.

Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) and Kortez Smith (Waldorf, Md.) both tallied 19 points in the win for the Hawks.  Jeremy Smith (Kenansville, N.C.) added 11 points while Josh Mellette (Sanford, N.C.) hauled in a team-high six rebounds.

The Hawks and Bulldogs exchanged baskets at the start of the first half before Kortez Smith's three-pointer at the 16:59 mark gave Chowan a 7-4 lead.  Bowie State remained within striking distance before Haskins' three-pointer with 12:32 on the clock pushed the Hawks ahead 20-14.

The Bulldogs fought back to knot the score 22-22 by the 8:15 mark on a Michael Briscoe (Waldorf, Md.) layup, but Warren Powers (Finksburg, Md.) hit two free throws to spark a 19-7 run for Chowan, propelling the Hawks to a 41-29 lead heading into halftime.

The Hawks continued to build on the momentum in the second half, maintaining a double-digit lead until the 11:38 mark.  Chowan held a 54-44 advantage with 8:43 left in the game  before a 9-2 run by Bowie State cut the Hawks' lead to three points (56-53).  A three-pointer by Kortez Smith shifted the momentum back in favor of Chowan.

Livingston's free throw with 1:40 on the clock left the Hawks clinging to a 64-61 lead but Haskins answered with a three-pointer for Chowan to push the Hawks ahead 67-61.  Two made free throw by Carlos Arroyo (Mayaguez, Puerto Rico) and one by Jeremy Smith allowed Chowan to secure the 70-61 win.

Chowan (18-7, 10-4 CIAA, 4-4 North) shot 53-6 percent from the field in the first half (15-for-28), which included 4-for-8 behind the 3-point line. On the other side of the stat sheet, Bowie State shot 34.5 percent (10-for-29) from the field in the first 20 minutes and 9-of-10 free throws.

Bowie State continued to struggle from the field in the second half, going 11-for-32 and finished the contest 1-for 13 behind the arc. The Bulldogs were able to control the glass, out-rebounding the Hawks 42-28.

The Bulldogs will have little time to regroup as Bowie State welcomes divisional leading Virginia State University to the A.C. Jordan Arena on Wednesday (2/17) night at 7:30 p.m.

BOX SCORE

COURTESY BOWIE STATE UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION