The women’s college basketball season got underway this week and six HBCU teams played several NCAA tournament qualifiers. Here is how they fared.
Florida 83, Florida A&M 55
The Rattlers lost their opener to Florida despite Dylan Horton scoring 20 points on 47% shooting and compiling four rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Other notable performers included Ahriahna Grizzle (11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and one steal) and Mide Oriyomi (7 points and 11 rebounds).
Miami 83, Maryland Eastern Shore 51
The Hawks made a trip to South Beach and it didn’t end well. Maryland Eastern Shore only shot 35% from the field for the game. Zamara Haynes was the only player in double-figures, with 11 points.
Florida State 113, Bethune-Cookman 50
The Seminoles made quick work of the Wildcats as they were held to just 26% from the field. O’Mariyah Tucker was the only player for Bethune-Cookman in double-figures, with 11 points and five rebounds. Kerrigan Dunn was also impressive, with 9 points and eight rebounds.
Iowa 87, Southern 34
Not a single starter for the Jaguars was in double-figures as they were held to 21% shooting in the whole game. Amani McWain led the entire team with 8 points.
UT Arlington 102, Texas Southern 53
In yet another in-state battle, it was a lopsided count in favor of the Power 5 team. For Texas Southern, three players scored in double-figures as Andriana Avent had 14 points, Donterria Brown pitched in with 11 points and Taniya Lawson had 11 points.
Arkansas 70, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 50
The game was close for much of the first half as the Razorbacks led Arkansas-Pine Bluff 14-10 at the end of the first quarter. In the second quarter, the Razorbacks blew things open as they outscored UABP 28-7 and that was pretty much the game. Maori Davenport was the standout performer for the Golden Lions as she had 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.
On the men’s side, five SWAC teams and two MEAC teams played against tournament bluebloods.
Kentucky 95, Howard 63
Howard trailed by 23 points at halftime and even though they were only outscored by nine points in the second half, it was already too late. Kobe Dickson and Elijah Hawkins were the standout performers for Howard as they combined for 31 of the team’s 63 total points.
Virginia Tech 95, Delaware State 57
This is a game that was in hand by halftime as the Hokies led the Hornets 56-31. For Delaware State, Khyrie Staten and Brandon Stone combined for 31 points on 50% shooting.
UAB 111, Alabama State 70
In this battle between two teams from the Yellowhammer state, the Blazers got the better of the Hornets by a wide margin. Antonio Madlock was the only solid performer for Alabama State, with 25 points on 50% shooting, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the free-throw line.
Iowa 89, Bethune-Cookman 58
Marcus Garrett had 13 points for the Wildcats on 40% shooting. Dylan Robinson had 11 points on 62.5% shooting to go along with five rebounds. Zion Harmon came off the bench and provided Bethune-Cookman with 15 points and seven assists.
Baylor 117, Mississippi Valley State 53
Even in a game like this, there are bright spots for the losing team. Alvin Stredic had 14 points on 67% shooting and five rebounds. Terry Collins scored 10 points and had six rebounds, four assists, one block and three steals.
San Francisco 90, Texas Southern 77
Last year’s SWAC tourney team had a very uneven game as they trailed by 15 points at halftime. The Tigers defense was a no-show as they allowed the Dons to shoot 61% from the field and 48% from 3-point range. Three of the five starters for the Tigers showed up, as PJ Henry scored 21 points on 50% shooting from 3-point range and 87.5% shooting from the free-throw line. He was also a presence on the defensive end, gathering five steals. John Walker Ⅲ had 19 points on 58% shooting from the field. Finally, Davon Barnes had 14 points.
TCU 73, Arkansas-Pine Bluff 72
The Golden Lions had an upset win in their grasp as they led 46-35 at halftime. But the Horned Frogs outscored them 38-26 in the second half to pull out a win. The Golden Lions had several opportunities to close the deal at the end, but they didn’t. Shaun Doss Jr. (25 points, six rebounds, one block and two steals) didn’t really have much help from his teammates other than Chris Greene’s 13 points.
