CHICAGO — The Chicago State women's basketball team (1-8) fell, 62-57, to St. Thomas Saturday at the Jones Convocation Center.
Freshman guard Aaliyah Collins poured in a game-high 20 points, her eighth consecutive game in double figures, but the Tommies closed strong to earn their second-ever Division I win.
"We have to finish games the way we start them," head coach Tiffany Sardin said. "We need defensive effort. We need to get stops and understand personnel. The little things matter."
For the Cougars, Christina Britter also served as a massive bright spot, scoring a season-high 13 points while grabbing six boards (four offensive) and tallying two blocks.
"Christina was solid and she was stable," Sardin said. "She did what we asked her to do."
In the first quarter, the Cougars came out hot and just 30 seconds in opened up the scoring on a beautiful layup from Allysah Boothe.
However, the Tommies quickly bounced back and opened up their scoring with a jumper by Erin Norling which tied it up at 2-2.
From there, after two empty possessions from each team, the Cougars executed a 5-0 run featuring a three from Janiah Newell and a tough layup by Aaliyah Collins.
Nevertheless, the Tommies stormed back with a 19-9 run to finish off the quarter, which saw the Cougars trailing by five after being up by five at 21-16.
In the second quarter, the Tommies continued their rally with a layup by Norling, which increased their lead to seven at 23-16.
In the next possession, after a turnover, Collins swiped the ball right back earning her a steal which she took in for a drive where she was fouled and sank both free throws, shortening the St. Thomas lead back to five at 23-18.
From this point, the teams went on a back-and-forth run, with the Cougars scoring 12, in which Christina Britter, Kyjai Miles, and Collins all traded buckets. St Thomas was able to counter with ten points of their own yet still led 33-30 with the Cougars nearing close at the end of the first half.
In the third quarter, the Tommies opened up strong and executed a 6-0 run which had the Cougars scoreless until one made free throw from Collins. St Thomas led comfortably at 39-31. The Cougars scored only one point over the first six minutes.
Then, CSU suddenly bounced back with a run of their own at 7-2 with all seven scored by Britter, as she energized the whole squad with two and-ones.
Nonetheless, the Tommies found their way back and finished the quarter on a 5-2 run with the Cougars only managing a jumper from Newell, which now had the Cougars trailing 46-40 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth, the Cougars opened up the scoring with a stellar jumper by Taylor Norris off a steal, yet the Tommies risky countered with a layup by Norling.
The Cougars then executed a 15-9 run in which Jazmine Covington, Nafatoumata Haidara, Britter, Boothe, and Collins all converted buckets. However, it wasn't enough as the Tommies finished on a 5-0 run to seal the win at 62-57.
The Cougars now face a 12-day layoff before returning to the hardwood at Green Bay on Thursday, December 16 at 7:00 p.m.
About Chicago State
Chicago State University Athletics is comprised of 15 intercollegiate teams involving over 150 student-athletes that compete in basketball, cross country, golf, soccer, tennis, indoor and outdoor track and volleyball. CSU held memberships in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and NCAA Division II before transitioning to NCAA Division I in 1994. Melvin Bland was the first CSU student-athlete to gain NAIA All-American status in 1974 as a wrestler. Fred Evans became the first black swimmer ever to win a national championship in 1975. CSU's women's basketball team earned a spot in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational and CSU's men's basketball team won the 2013 Great West Conference Tournament title and made an appearance in the CollegeInside.com Postseason Tournament (CIT). The Men's Outdoor Track & Field 4x100-Meter Relay team were 2019 Honorable Mention All-Americans and WAC Champions. Their feat marked the first time the Chicago State's men's track & field program was represented at the national meet.
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