Jan. 22, 2012

Box Score / Post-Game Interview Video

By Dan Ryan
B-CUAthletics.com

DOVER, Del. – Cleniece Roberts wasn't trying to upstage Jasmine Elum's or Whitney King's homecoming by sinking two free throws with two seconds remaining to give Bethune-Cookman a 52-50 victory over Delaware State Saturday evening. Really.

“I just wanted to make everyone happy with the victory,” said Roberts.

That she did as the Lady Wildcats (6-12 overall, 3-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) won their second straight and third in their last four.

Elum and King each had sections of Memorial Hall filled with family and friends from nearby to watch them play and they both had their moments down the stretch as B-CU found a way to win on the road.

King's lay-up with 3:51 remaining gave B-CU's its first lead of the game at 44-43, then Elum scored four of B-CU's next six points give the Lady Wildcats a 50-45 lead with 1:25 left.

Tierra Phillips drew Delaware State (3-14,0-4) to two points on a three-play with 1:15 left, and tied the game with another potential three-point play with 22 seconds left. However, Phillips missed the free throw, giving B-CU the final shot.

Roberts grabbed the offensive rebound after Elum missed a jumper and sank both shots from the line.

“I was very nervous,” Roberts said. “So I remembered what Coach [James] Howard told me … take my time, bend my knees and follow through.”

Roberts finished with eight points and seven rebounds

“Cleniece came up big,” said B-CU coach Vanessa Blair “She's a big game player. On the final shot, we wanted Elum to take it and if didn't fall, crash the board and give us an opportunity.”

Demetria Frank delivered yet another Demetria Frank stat line as she led B-CU with 14 points, six steals, five rebounds and four assists. Elum scored 10, King nine.

B-CU missed 11 of its first 12 shots and was outrebounded 30-12 in the opening 12 minutes, but only trailed 22-16 at halftime. The Lady Wildcats strung together a run with four consecutive shots to cut a 12-point deficit to 18-16.

In the second half, Frank helped B-CU get out in the open court and score most of its points in transition.

“We came out scared and nervous and it showed,” Blair said. “We talked about getting rebounds because our offense was stagnant and getting our points off the break.”

B-CU plays at UMES Monday.