By Nicholas Huenefeld/Owens Sports Information
Toledo, Ohio---Demy Whitaker (Notre Dame Academy/Toledo, Ohio) buried six 3-pointers in the first half, and Sierra Harley (Africentric/Columbus, Ohio) sank several free throws down the stretch to lead the No. 16 Owens Community College women's basketball team to an 88-76 upset of No. 6 Monroe College in the Tip Off Classic championship game in the Student Health and Activities Center (SHAC) tonight.
The Mustangs jumped out to 7-3 and 9-8 leads to open the game, but LaKayra Carlisle (Pershing/Detroit, Mich.) hit a 3-pointer and a jumper from the left wing to give the Express a 13-9 lead with 15:37 left in the half. They would never trail again, thanks in large part to Whitaker's offensive prowess.
With 9:02 left, Whitaker extended a tremendous first half shooting performance. After making two 3-pointers over the game's first 11 minutes, she hit a 3-pointer, a jumper, and two more 3-pointers on four straight possessions to give the Express a 36-22 lead with 7:01 left.
Harley joined in with two free throws and a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 19 with 5:40 remaining. Whitaker and Harley each then hit another 3-pointer down the stretch to give the Express a 50-30 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the Mustangs made a slow charge. After Whitaker's seventh 3-pointer of the game with 11:42 left gave the Express a 65-42 lead, the Mustangs kept fighting behind the play of Shania Johnson and Karen Bellamy, who combined for 21 points in the second half, and trimmed their deficit to as few as 11 in the last few minutes, but Harley made three of four at the foul line and banked in a running jumper off the glass in the paint to help the Express steal the game.
With the win, the Express picked up their fourth straight win following a season-opening loss. The Mustangs fell to 2-2 this year.
Whitaker finished with a game-high 23 points, along with five rebounds, four assists and one steal. She shot 8-for-10 from the field and 7-for-9 from 3-point range. Harley added 20 points, nine rebounds and five assists while finishing 9-for-10 from the foul line.
Two other starters, Ashley Tunstall (Huber Heights Wayne/Dayton, Ohio) and Carlisle finished with 12 points apiece. Carlisle, who picked up two early fouls in the first half, also had eight rebounds and one assist in 22 minutes. Tunstall added seven rebounds and three assists.
Off the bench, Courizma Williams (Hughes/Cincinnati, Ohio) was the high scorer with 11 points, along with six rebounds and one block.
Overall, the Express shot 27-for-60 from the field and 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from 3-point range. They also finished 21-for-27 from the foul line.
The Express now head into a 5:30 p.m. matchup against Wayne County Community College at home on Wednesday. They will also host Delta College this week on Saturday at 1 p.m.