South Carolina HBCU Sports This Week

*Lady Bulldogs Post Season Sweep Over Coppin State*

ORANGEBURG, SC—Nicole Gwynn tossed in an team-high 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead South Carolina State to an season sweep over visit Coppin State Saturday (Feb.11th) at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

South Carolina State improves to 3-20 overall, 2-6 in the MEAC, while Coppin State falls to 5-17 overall, 2-5 in the league.

The Lady Bulldogs knocked off the Eagles earlier this season on the rod in an 63-61 victory in Baltimore, MD.

Janiah Hinton added 12 points and three assists, while Aja Smith chipped in 11 points on the day. Lovely Sonnier fell two points short of another double-double, finishing the game with eight points and 12 rebounds in the win.

Coppin State was led by Mossi Staples with a game-high 19 points and Jewel Watkins with 13 in the loss.

*Benedict Rolls Over Allen, 91-61*

COLUMBIA, S.C. – The Benedict College Tigers shot 57.4 percent from the floor and placed five players in double figures to cruise to a 91-61 victory over rival Allen University on Saturday afternoon in the C.A. Johnson High School gymnasium.

The Tigers used a 16-3 run in the first half to break away from a 19-19 tie. Tim Moore closed out the first half with a dunk to give Benedict a 44-29 lead at the half.

The Yellow Jackets (4-20 overall, 4-15 in the SIAC), made it 50-39 on a dunk with 16:21 left in the second half, but that was as close as they would get. The Tigers went on another big run, outscoring the Yellow Jackets 18-4 over the next eight minutes to build a 25-point lead, 68-43.

Brandon Beidleman led a balanced scoring attack with 12 points. Dontavius King added 11 points, eight of those in the second half. Brandon Smith, Malachi McCoy, and Kailee White all had 10 points each.

The 57.4 percent shooting was the second-best effort of the season for the Tigers. Benedict hit 10-of-20 3-pointers for a season-best 50 percent shooting from long range.

Benedict improves to 16-9 overall and 14-5 in the SIAC, remaining in first place in the SIAC East Division with two games remaining. The Tigers play at Morehouse next Saturday and wrap up the regular season on Feb. 20 at Clark Atlanta.

*Scott Nails Six Three-Pointers in 96-73 Win Over Saint Augustine's*

ORANGEBURG, SC - The Claflin Lady Panthers (12-11, 5-9 CIAA) broke out for a huge second half effort to claim a 96-73 win over the Saint Augustine's Falcons (8-14, 4-10 CIAA), Saturday. The Lady Panthers scored 58 second half points to claim their third win in their last four games.

The day belonged to Claflin sophomore guard Lauren Scott who powered the Lady Panthers' powerful offensive attack. She scored a career-high 26 points in the game, including hitting six three-pointers in the game. Fellow sophomore guard Nya Morris added 15 points with four rebounds while sophomore forward Morgan Kelson's 10 points and six rebounds. Sophomore guard Janelle Sample came off the bench for 10 points and four rebounds.

Though it took a while for the Lady Panthers to get started, the team heated up in a big way. In the first quarter, the Lady Panthers struggled, allowing Saint Augustine's to go ahead by as many as 11 points, 13-2. By the end of the quarter, a Sample three-pointer at the buzzer cut the Lady Panthers' deficit down to just six points 17-23. It was in the second quarter that the Lady Panthers were able to claim their first lead after Scott jumper with 32-31 with 3:09 left in the quarter. By the end of the half, the Lady Panthers held a close 38-36 lead over the Falcons.

It was in the second half when the Lady Panthers took control of the game. The team outscored the Lady Falcons, 32-21 in the third quarter, and went ahead by as many as 14 points, 69-55, after a pair of Scott free throws with 00:40 left in the quarter. The Lady Panthers only kept things going in the fourth quarter as a lay-up from senior forward Destiny Coleman left the Lady Panthers with a 92-66 lead. From there, the team simply cruised to the 96-73 victory.

With the win, the Lady Panthers improve to12-11 overall and 5-9 in Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play. The team will return to action, Wednesday, when they host the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos, Wednesday evening. 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.