Bowie State's Elite Eight Recap

CIAA and South Atlantic Region champ Bowie State rebounded from a nine-for-25 first half shooting performance to make up a seven-point second half deficit in downing the Northeast Region champion River Hawks. After trailing 30-25 at the half, the Bulldogs converted 11 of 23 (47.8%) second-half shots to get the win. Senior swingman Stephen Moss-Kelley's 16 first-half points kept BSU in the game as only two other teammates got into the scoring column. But Tim Washington responded with nine of his 15 after the break and Cornelius McMurray got all 11 of his points in the second half allowing the Bulldogs to grab a 43-41 lead with 9:20 left that they never relinquished. Bowie State shot 30 second half free throws converting 22 while UM-L was only 2 of 3.

Bowie State battled eight-time Div. II champion Kentucky Wesleyan on even terms in the first half but withered under a second half barrage in losing in the Div. II national semifinals. Bowie State only trailed 39-36 at the break but was hit with a 14-7 run to open the second half and never recovered trailing by 20 five times in the final period. While KWC shot 45.5% (15 of 33) in the second half, BSU could hit only 10 of 33 (30.3%). CIAA and South Atlantic Region MVP Tim Washington fouled out with just nine points but the other Bulldog starters finished in double figures led by 15 from Stephen Moss-Kelley and 12 each from Jon Smith and Cornelius McMurray. "If you want to beat Kentucky Wesleyan, you have to score points," said BSU coach Luke D'Alessio. "We missed some shots that we usually make. They've been here (to the finals) six times (in a row) and have their program in place. We're taking it one step at a time and we want to be a top-10 team from now on."

© 2003 Azeez Communications, Inc.

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