8-0 run pushes Bulldogs to 24th win

Yalonda Davis and Casie Cowan each scored five points during an 18-0 run in the second half, as No. 6 Cumberland overcame cold shooting in the opening period and posted a 64-52 victory over Lindsey Wilson on Saturday in women’s basketball action at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.

The Bulldogs (24-1, 15-1 Mid-South) couldn’t catch a break around the basket in the first half and allowed the Blue Raiders (15-10, 6-9) to shoot 50 percent from the field in the period, including six second-chance points. CU made just 7-of-25 shots at one point in the opening half and trailed by 10 midway through the period before a 10-2 spurt highlighted by two 3-pointers from Briannica Tye left the home team down by a point at the break.

Lindsey Wilson netted the first four points of the second half with a jumper by Tara Arnold and two free throws from Jasmine Brimm, but Cowan’s 3-pointer and then an 18-footer tied the game at 36 and ignited the Bulldog offense. Davis netted five points during the run as well, finally getting a bucket plus the foul to stay in the rim and ending the spurt with two foul shots.

Calamity Jane Coley came off the bench to provide energy and offense as well, getting a putback and then running the floor on the fast break and finishing with a layup. The freshman added a block and three rebounds in seven minutes of action during the run.

Brimm finally ended the scoreless stretch for the Blue Raiders after almost seven minutes, but by then Cumberland led by 11 and never looked back. CU pushed its advantage to as many as 14 points and LWC never got closer than 10 the rest of the way.

Tye was the only Bulldog in double figures, posting 20 points and breaking out of an offensive slump after scoring just two points and making 1-of-17 shots, including 0-for-8 from 3-point range. She hit three trifectas in the contest and was 5-of-6 at the foul line along with four assists and two steals in the win.

London Elie and Davis both recorded eight points while TaCouya Allen added six points and Simone Ryan posted six boards and a team-best eight boards in only 21 minutes of action. Ryan started her first game of the year in place of Jessica Pace, the team’s leading scorer and rebounder, after Pace injured her ankle in the second half of Thursday’s win over Campbellsville University.

Ashley Rainey led all players with 21 points and 22 rebounds, including 16 points and 14 boards in the first half. The senior was 6-of-10 from the field and made 9-of-10 foul shots along with grabbing eight offensive rebounds, many of which sent her to the foul line. Brimm added 20 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Cumberland’s defense in the second half limited the Blue Raiders offensive effectiveness, as LWC shot just 32 percent in the period, including 1-of-10 to start the half. Lindsey Wilson committed 24 turnovers in the contest, which the Bulldogs turned into 19 points.

Rainey and Brimm scored 11 of LWC’s first 14 points of the game and Sarah Gillis added a 3-pointer and another field goal. Rainey’s two free throws gave the Blue Raiders a 21-11 lead with 8:55 left in the first half. Tye’s two 3-pointers during the 10-2 spurt kept the Bulldogs in the game and Josette Campbell added a trifecta just before the half, as Lindsey Wilson carried a 32-31 advantage to the locker room.

Cumberland will host No. 21 Shawnee State on Thursday and will take on the Rio Grande on Saturday in the annual Play4Kay game as well as Senior Day.

Bulldogs unable to contain No. 3 Lindsey Wilson 

A four-and-a-half minute scoring drought in the first half by Cumberland sparked a 17-7 Lindsey Wilson run to put the third-ranked Blue Raiders on track to a 72-55 victory Saturday afternoon at the Dallas Floyd Recreation Center.

Brian Blackmon scored a game-high 20 points for CU but no other Bulldog amounted double digits, while the Blue Raiders had three players score 11 or more points, led by 18 from Kalen Kimberland, 13 of which came in the second half.

Cumberland (8-17, 4-12) was cold from the floor, particularly from the 3-point line, going 1-12 on the night compared to LWC’s 9-of-17 from deep.. The Blue Raider bench was a huge factor in the game, contributing 27 points, while the Bulldog reserves scored 10.

A lob from Blackmon to Elijah Gillis six minutes into the game inched CU to within one point, and a free throw by Creshaun Holt tied the game at 11. After a Jerret Towns’ jumper, the Bulldogs were only able to connect on one other field goal in a seven-minute stretch when Blackmon hit a shot with CU trailing 25-18.

With four minutes remaining until halftime, Holt nailed a jumper to cut LWC’s lead to single digits at 29-20, but a bucket by Kimberland and a 3-pointer by Chase Cox put the Blue Raiders up 34-22 at the break.

Nearly three minutes passed by in the second half before either squad put points on the board until Lindsey Wilson’s Daronte’ Clark made a layup, pushing his team’s lead to 14. The Bulldogs found a spark when Towns converted a 3-point play to cut LWC’s advantage to 11. However, the Blue Raiders drained a trifecta 49 seconds later, again extending the lead to 14.

On back-to-back trips down the floor, Charles Stewart collected a steal and dropped in a layup to slice the lead to 39-31 with 14:26 left in the game. But again, Kimberland and Cox were there to answer, with Kimberland hitting a layup and Cox netting a shot from beyond the arc to extend the Blue Raider lead to 13.

Two buckets by Blackmon brought CU to within nine with 11:33 seconds left to play, but a 9-3 LWC run put the score at 53-38 and the game out of reach for the Bulldogs.

Holt tallied eight points for Cumberland, while Gillis, Towns and Lester Gude each collected seven and Gillis also had seven rebounds.

For Lindsey Wilson (23-2, 13-2) Chris Bridges scored 15 points and Darren Ballou added 11.

Cumberland will return to action this week at home, facing Shawnee State on Thursday at 8 p.m. and Rio Grande on Saturday at 4 p.m.