Box Score Lady Marauders cruise to 66-31 opening night victory over Salem International

WILBERFORCE, Ohio – The Lady Marauders of Central State University opened the 2016-2017 basketball season with a dominant 66-31 victory of Salem International University on Saturday night.

Playing host to the Theresa A. Check Tip-Off Classic, Central State provided plenty of big plays for the Hall of Fame coach and Marauder fans to cheer about on opening night.

In the words of CSU head coach Sheba Harris, her team got off to a slow start but finished the first period on a 12-1 run to take a 17-6 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. CSU extended its lead in the second quarter, leading by a halftime score of 29-10.

Everything seemed to go CSU's way in the third quarter. The Lady Marauder defense held SIU to just 4 total points while the offense. Making her CSU debut, Tamara Sellers made all six shot attempts in the quarter while the team converted 9 of 10 field goal attempts to take full control of the game, 57-14.

"Tamara is a pure scorer," Harris said. "We know that when we need a bucket, we can count on her to deliver."

CSU was in cruise control for much of the fourth quarter as every active player on the roster saw action on the hardwood.

As a team, the Lady Marauders out-rebounded Salem Internal, 56-39. The CSU bench outscored the SIU reserves, 40-11.

Sellers came off the bench to lead all players with 22 points in her Lady Marauder debut, converting 9 of 18 shot attempts. Senior guard Ghameerah McCullers scored 11 points and contributed defensively with 6 steals. Destinee Russell and Mustafa Notter led the defensive charge for CSU. Russell had a game-high 7 steals to go along with 8 rebounds. Notter led all players in rebounding with 12.

Keishla Gilmore led Salem International's efforts with 9 points on the night.

Both teams will be back in action competing in Beacom/Lewis Gymnasiu on Sunday. SIU takes on Kentucky State at 1 pm. The Lady Marauders take on Ohio Valley University at 3 pm to conclude the Theresa A. Check Tip-Off Classic.
 
Game 3 - Sunday, Nov. 13
Kentucky State vs. Salem International
Tip-Off: 1 pm
Coverage:
Radio -  Gem City Sports Network (http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/)
Live Stats -  Marauder Live Stats site (http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/wbball/)

Game 4 - Sunday, Nov. 13
Ohio Valley vs. Central State
Tip-Off: 3 pm
Coverage:
Radio -  Gem City Sports Network (http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/)
Video -  CSU Sports Streaming Channel (http://maraudersports.com/watch/)
Live Stats -  Marauder Live Stats site (http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/wbball/)


ABOUT COACH THERESA CHECK

Theresa Check, a legendary athletic administrator and women's basketball coach in Southwest Ohio, made a reputation for herself as the women's basketball coach at Alter High School and as head coach and athletic director at Central State University and Cincinnati State Community College.

After playing three years at Adelphi and one at Central State, Check began her coaching career with the girls' basketball team at Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio. In seven seasons, Check won 122 games and advanced to the regional final on two occasions.

After Alter, Check spent the next seventeen seasons developing the Central State women's program into a perennial NAIA powerhouse. During Check's tenure at CSU, the Lady Marauders won 407 games and lost 175 — a .699 winning percentage. CSU made thirteen consecutive appearances in the NAIA Division I national tournament, advancing to the Sweet Sixteen once and the Elite Eight twice.

In 2001, Check resigned as Central State's head women's basketball coach to focus all her efforts on being the director of athletics. Becoming the full-time AD, Check was successful in re-establishing the Central State football program. In addition to football, Check added men's and women's tennis along with volleyball. She also directed CSU to NCAA Division II status in 2004, a critical step in opening future opportunities for the athletic program.

In 2008, Check accepted the role of AD and head women's basketball coach at Cincinnati State Community College. As coach, Check compiled a 64-23 record in three seasons, leading the Surge to a pair of Ohio Community College Athletic Conference championships and one appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association national tournament. She relinquished her coaching responsibilities following the 2010-11 season, once again focusing on directing the department before retiring the next year. During Check's tenure as Cincinnati State's athletic director, teams made five NJCAA national tournament appearances in men's basketball, women's basketball, men's soccer and men's golf.

Check has been enshrined into a school or organization's Hall of Fame on seven occasions. She is a member of the Central State University Hall of Fame, Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame, NAIA Hall of Fame, Cedarville High School's (OH) Hall of Fame, Alter High School's Hall of Fame, the Greene County (OH) Women's Hall of Fame and Cincinnati State's Hall of Fame.
 

TICKETS
For tickets to the Theresa A. Check Tip-Off Classic, go to - http://centralstate.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp

Doors will open each day approximately 30 minutes prior to the start of the first game.
 

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