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Nov. 8, 2009
DURHAM, N.C. - Freshman guard Joanna Miller shot 4-for-9 from long range to lead the North Carolina Central University Lady Eagles past the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls, 63-51, Sunday afternoon in an exhibition game at McDougald-McLendon Gymnasium. "Joanna really didn't play like a freshman tonight," said NCCU head coach Joli Robinson. "She came in and played as if she had been here for four years. Usually with the freshmen, you see them really jittery and unable to do some things, but she came in and did some great things offensively." Miller, who hit the floor for the first time in an NCCU jersey, led the Lady Eagles on offense with 23 points after shooting 44.4 percent from the 3-point line. She added to her impressive performance with a 5-for-5 free throw shooting outing. Sophomore Danielle DeBerry shot 6-for-9 from the field to add 12 points of her own for NCCU. Lady Eagles' newcomer Brittany Myatt dominated on the boards, collecting a game-high 11 rebounds. DeBerry led on defense for NCCU with four steals. NCCU scored 32 points off the bench, outscoring JCSU, 32-31, in bench points. The Lady Eagles outrebounded the Golden Bulls, 44-34, with 17 offensive boards. "Brittany really did well for us," continued Robinson. "She is one that can be overlooked sometimes because she is playing a position that she is really too small for, but her jumping abilities are very good and she times things very well. We had to move her to the post position because that is where she is most comfortable and she did an exceptional job for us tonight." NCCU shot 40.3 percent from the field and 35.7 percent from behind the arc. Defensively, the Lady Eagles forced 16 turnovers and totaled 12 steals. Their pressure on defense forced the Golden Bulls to struggle from the field, shooting 38.2 percent and only 13.3 percent from long range.
The Lady Eagles started off slow in the first half, going into intermission with the game tied at 29. JCSU led for most of the first half until a 6-0 run tied the game at 25. NCCU took the lead off a jumper by DeBerry at the 2:14 mark. The Golden Bulls answered quickly to tied the score at 27 and then took the lead off a Sheria Hatcher layup. A basket by Shaina Pryor with 39 seconds left in the half tied the game at 29. "We felt that we were going to start out kind of slow with it being the first game and being at home with a new coaching staff.," added Robinson. "They weren't really sure how things were going to be and we changed some things within our defense that they are not accustomed to and they had to make those adjustments. They had some jitters and we anticipated that, but once they settled down, they were able to do a lot of things that surprised us." In the first half alone, there were five tied scores and eight lead changes. DeBerry scored eight of her 12 points in the first half, while Miller had seven. The Lady Eagles struggled from 3-point land, shooting only 20 percent. In the second half, NCCU picked up the momentum and ran away with the ballgame. Latoya Bennett scored the first bucket of the second half to give the Lady Eagles a quick lead. JCSU managed to tie the score only once and that was at the 15:11 mark, but from that point on, NCCU had full control, leading by as many as 15. The Lady Eagle defense stopped the offensive power of the Golden Bulls, keeping them below 35 percent from the field in the second half and not allowing them to take the lead. "Latoya did a good job, not having been able to run with us all preseason," said Robinson. "She came in, gave us some quality minutes and hit the boards. She is still trying to feel her way and get comfortable. Shanise [Blanks] also came in and played pretty well for us." JCSU had one student-athlete score in double-digits. Senior Demetria Bell led on offense with 10 points and added six rebounds. Brittane Neely led the Golden Bulls on the boards with eight rebounds. NCCU will tip-off the 2009-10 season in College Park, Md., where they will take on ACC-powerhouse Maryland in the Comcast Center on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. The Terrapins were crowned the 2009 ACC Champions and made it to the Elite Eight in the 2009 NCAA Tournament. While in Maryland, NCCU will make a stop in Baltimore to face the Morgan State Bears at 5:30 p.m. on Nov. 16. "Defense is going to be the key for us this weekend," continued Robinson. "Unfortunately, they have some post players that are going to be a little bit stronger and bigger. They are going to be able to execute a little bit differently and we are going to have to make some adjustments. Hoping our student-athletes make the changes and adjustments as we watch film and prepare is the key from game to game and I think they will do that." For information on Lady Eagles basketball, visit the official website of NCCU Athletics at www.NCCUEaglePride.com. |
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