Brooke Spaulding sparks Lady Marauders to 77-74 victory over Albany State
 
WILBERFORCE, Ohio – Central State freshman Brooke Spaulding came off the bench to score 18 points as the Lady Marauders beat Albany State, 77-74, on Saturday.

With the win, the Lady Marauders improve to 4-2 on the year with a 1-0 mark in SIAC play. The Golden Rams drop to 3-3 overall and 0-1 in the conference.

CSU closed the first quarter on a 10-1 run to take a 21-12 lead. ASU turned up its defense and outscored CSU, 17-14, in the second quarter to cut the deficit down, 35-29, at the intermission.

The Lady Marauders surrendered a 10-1 run and trailed 39-36 at the 4:30 mark of the third quarter. ASU maintained a 2-point led as the teams entered the final period.

Trailing 56-52 with 8 minutes to play, Spaulding scored 13 of the next 18 points for CSU and put her team up, 70-64, with back-to-back makes from beyond the arc. The Rams battled back with a 9-2 run to take a 73-72 lead with 1:57 remaining. Chavon Banks scored on CSU's next possession to put her team back up by one. ASU had multiple chances to tie and take the lead in the final minute but poor free throw shooting and turnovers held the Rams back. Spaulding and Gilbert added late free throws as CSU celebrated its third straight victory.

CSU registered 13 steals and held a 21-17 edge in points off turnovers. CSU converted 44% from the field compared to a 37% shooting performance from ASU.

Gilbert finished the game with a team-high 23 points, 7 assists, 3 steals and 5 rebounds. En route to her 18 points, Spaulding converted 6 of 8 field goals attempts in just 13 minutes of play. Despite being injured in the early stages of the second half, Sierra Harley fought through the pain to finish with 11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Elesha Foster led ASU with 29 points and 10 rebounds.

CSU will try for their fourth straight victory when they host Fort Valley State on Monday at 5:30 pm.
 
Quotes – Coach Lewis Shine
"Brooke has been working hard all year and it was good to see her hard work pay off with a great performance tonight."

"Our backcourt continues to play well. We believe we have some of the top guards in the conference and they proved it tonight."

"With another big conference game coming up on Monday, we do not have any time to celebrate this win. Our focus immediately turns to a quality opponent in Fort Valley State."
 



Notes
Saturday's game was the first conference game for both schools.

Takyra Gilbert is averaging 21 ppg over the last five games.

A transfer from Cincinnati State, Gilbert is the reigning SIAC Newcomer of the Week.

Sierra Harley is converting over 50% from three-point range.

CSU leads the SIAC in offense (79.7) and steals (13.0).


Next Game
Opponent: Fort Valley State
Date: Monday, November 27
Tip-Off: 5:30 pm
Location: Beacom/Lewis Gymnasium – Wilberforce, Ohio


Coverage
Radio -  Gem City Sports Network (http://www.gemcitysports.com/radio-1/)
Video -  CSU Sports Streaming Channel (http://maraudersports.com/watch/)
Radio - Arena Sports Network (http://arenasportsnet.com/live/)
Live Stats -  Marauder Live Stats site (http://www.sidearmstats.com/centralstate/wbball/)
 

Tickets
For ticket information, visit -  http://centralstate.universitytickets.com/user_pages/event_listings.asp