CHICAGO – Three players scored in double figures as Chicago State gained a measure of revenge by posting a 55-47 win in its homecoming game and regular season finale Saturday afternoon at the Emil and Patricia Jones Convocation Center. The Cougars improve their season record to 14-12, while the Lady Broncs drop to 13-14 on the year.
The home team snapped a 7-7 tie with a 17-4 run over a span of 7:24 behind six points from sophomore Courtney Waldon (Sun Prairie, WI/Sun Prairie) (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and five points by freshman Jael Peña (Harlem, N.Y.) to gain a 24-11 advantage after Peña connected on three-pointer at the 9:21 mark. UTPA would finish the half by producing 12 of the half's final 23 points in the final nine minutes to slice its deficit to 31-23 heading into intermission.
CSU responded to the visitor's late first-half run by opening the second half with a quick 7-2 run in the first three and a half minutes to increase its lead to 38-25 following a layup by sophomore Elana Wroten (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (Chicago, Ill.) at 16:43. The Cougars notched their biggest lead of the game at the 4:38 mark at 52-37 on a Pena layup. The Lady Broncs came back with a 10-3 scoring drive in the final minutes with senior Teshay Winfrey producing seven points during the run, but the home team held on for the win.
Peña paced Chicago State with 14 points, while Waldon added 12 points, eight rebounds and five steals. Wroten recorded 10 points, four boards and three steals for the Cougars. Prior to the game, senior guards Jasmin Dixon (Detroit, MI/Martin Luther King) (Detroit, Mich.) and Brittany White (Chicago, IL/Morgan Park) (Chicago, Ill.) were honored in a Senior Day ceremony.
UTPA was led by freshman Brittany Demery's double-double of 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Winfrey finished with 12 points, while freshman Epiphany Smith recorded 10 points, nine caroms, five steals and four assists.
Chicago State heads to Orem, Utah next week to compete in the six-team Independent Tournament at Utah Valley's McKay Center. The Cougars, seeded second in the tournament, will battle fifth-seeded Savannah State on Thursday, March 5 with a start time of 5:30 p.m., central time.
~ CSU ~
