Firebirds Secure Post-Season Hosting Spot after Defeating Dolphins 86-58

WASHINGTON, DC- The University of the District of Columbia's women's basketball team bounced back into the win column after defeating the College of Staten Island 86-58, Saturday afternoon at the E.B Henderson Sports Complex. The Firebirds improved to 14-12 on the season surpassing their single season wins from last year (13). They also improve to 9-6 in the Conference, securing the fourth place position in the tournament and a guaranteed hosting spot. The Dolphins on the other hand fell to 9-17 and 5-10 in league standings. 

Eight Firebirds made it onto the scoreboard with four in the double-figures. Latavia Jackson led all scorers with 23 points, while grabbing eight rebounds, three assists, three steals and a block. Destiny Ryles was just two assists shy of a triple-double, scoring 17 points, 10 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals. Shanell Haskins was a spark plug off the bench going 6-8 from the field and 5-7 from downtown, to add 17 points. Halia Ellis rounded out double-figure scoring with 11 points and Aiyana Ellis pulled a game-high 11 rebounds.

CSI made their way onto the scoreboard first, but ocne UDC got going there was no stopping them. 

UDC shot at 45.5% from the field while the Dolphins shot at 35.5%. The Firebirds also managed to pull 49 rebounds compared to the Dolphins 36 and dominated in the paint out scoring them 26-14. The home team was also able to convert 18 points off of Dolphin's turnovers. 

The Firebirds will host a post season game for the first time since the 2015-16 season when they competed in the semifinals. UDC has fared well at home all season going 7-2, defeating the top three teams, Daemen, STAC and Mercy. They've also defeated four teams in the conference by 20 or more points  this season. 

UDC currently is still in the running for the third place spot if they defeat Roberts Wesleyan and Mercy College loses their final two games. 

Up Next, UDC (14-12, 9-6 ECC) will host Roberts Wesleyan University on Thursday (23rd) at the E.B Henderson Sports Complex, with a tip-off time of 5:30 PM