BOWIE, MD (January 7, 2023) – The Claflin Lady Panthers (9-4, 3-2 CIAA) played a solid overall game, but a slow start combined with some fourth quarter struggles left the team with a 63-53 road loss to the Bowie State Bulldogs (8-6, 4-1 CIAA). In a game that featured two of the top teams in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), the Lady Panthers gave a great overall effort, but the team came up short in the tough loss.
The Lady Panthers found points hard to come by against the tough Bowie State defense. As a team, the Lady Panthers were held to shooting just 40.8% (20-of-49) from the floor, including shooting just 29.4% (five-of-17) from the three-point line. Senior forward Destiny Coleman led the Lady Panthers’ attack with 13 points and nine rebounds in the game. Senior forward Janell Horton added 10 points in the game. Sophomore guard Nya Lewis added a game-high 10 rebounds.
Things got tough early for the Lady Panthers. The team had a sluggish start to the game as they only managed five first quarter points and trailed 5-10 at the end of the quarter. The team came to life in the second quarter. A pair of free throws from sophomore guard Lauren Scott gave the Lady Panthers their first lead since the first two minutes of the game, 18-16 with 3:54 left in the second quarter. In the final minutes of the second quarter, the two teams would go back and forth trading leads. After a Coleman jumper with 1:23 left before halftime gave the Lady Panthers a 25-21 lead, the Lady Panthers allowed five unanswered points to the Bulldogs to head into the locker room trailing, 26-25.
In the second half, the Lady Panthers and Bulldogs both came out strong. In the early going, it was the Lady Panthers who would break out as the team built an eight point lead, 37-29 after a three-pointer from sophomore guard Janelle Sample with 5:33 left in the third quarter. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers would not score again until the final seconds of the quarter and took a 39-42 deficit into the fourth quarter. The Lady Panthers would take a fourth quarter lead after a Horton lay-up with 4:52 left to play put the team ahead, 49-47. However, the Lady Panthers allowed a 16-4 run by Bowie State that closed out the game and sealed the 63-53 loss for the Lady Panthers.
With the loss, the team falls to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in CIAA play. The team will close out their road trip, Monday evening, when they head to Pennsylvania to take on the Lincoln (Pa.) Lady Lions. For more information on Lady Panthers basketball, contact the Claflin University Office of Athletics Media Relations at (803) 535-5548 or log on to www.athletics.claflin.edu.