Big Second Half Lifts UB Women's Basketball To 65-57 Win Over Southern Connecticut State

Bridgeport, Conn. - The University of Bridgeport women's basketball team picked up their first victory of the season with a 65-57 comeback win over the Southern Connecticut State Owls on Sunday evening in the final game of the 2014 Bridgeport Women's Basketball Classic. Bridgeport gets in the win column and now sit at 1-1 on the young season. SCSU drops to 0-2.

It was a tale of two halves for the Purple Knights as it took them until the second period to find their shooting touch. Southern took a 24-18 lead into halftime, with neither team shooting the ball particularly well. Bridgeport went into the break shooting only 21.2% (7-of-33) from the field, including 1-for-13 from long range; Southern still managed the lead shooting 20.5% knocking down 9-of-44 attempts.   

Bridgeport came out to start the second half on fire as they connected on nine of their first ten attempts to take a two point lead, 38-36, with 14:53 to play. Those first five minutes of play set the tempo for the rest of the game as the Purple Knights would not trail for the rest of the contest. Southern did manage to tie the score up at 40-40 with 10:39 on the clock. Four straight points from Jennifer Kucukkaya (Jr., Sodertalje, Sweden) gave UB the lead for good and they would go onto to lead by as many as 11 points, with the game ending, 65-57, in favor of the Purple Knights. Bridgeport would finish the second half shooting a scorching 63.3% (19-of-30) from the field while also outrebounding the Owls by an 18-12 margin in the final 20 minutes.

Shannon Holt (Jr., Holden, Mass.) was the catalyst for Bridgeport scoring a team high 20 points, on eight of thirteen shooting, while just missing out on a double-double, grabbing nine rebounds – also a team high. She also blocked six shots for the second game in a row.

Joining Holt in double-figures for UB was senior Jenna Hoffman (Manchester Center, Vt.) and Kucukkaya, both of whom each added 11 points in the win. Sophomore Evelyn Ovner (Vallentuna, Sweden) chipped in 10 points off the bench.  Hoffman dished out five assists and grabbed seven rebounds to go along with her scoring output.

Southern's Jackie Beathea had a huge game in the loss for the Owls, scoring a game high 21 points and pulling in 16 boards.

UB will now travel up Park Avenue to take on the Division I Sacred Heart Pioneers in an exhibition game for the Purple Knights on Tuesday November 18. Game time is set for 7:00 pm.