Box Score
WASHINGTON, DC – The Livingstone men's basketball team couldn't contain the hot-shooting of the Firebirds of the University of the District of Columbia Thursday evening as the Blue Bears fell 81-70.
Livingstone took the first two points of the contest 46 seconds into the game followed by four points by the Firebirds before both teams went cold from the floor. More than three minutes later, UDC connected on a bucket, but Livingstone still couldn't hit a shot. Darius Cox put one point on the board at the free-throw line with 12:55 left, but it wasn't until the 11:43 mark of the first half that Carl Boswell put an end to the seven minute and 29 second drought from the field. By this time the Blue Bears were trailing 13-5.
Omar Ford-Bey brought the Blue Bears within three points at 24-21 with 6:41 left, but a 9-0 run by the Firebirds opened up a 33-21 lead with 5:21 remaining. Over the final five minutes of the first half the Blue Bears fought hard and ended the half on a 15-3 run to tie the game at 36-36 at the break.
The Blue Bears again grabbed the first two points of the second half and held a one-point lead at 44-43 with 16:30 left after two free throws by Cox. UDC pulled away slightly, taking a 53-46 lead, but the Blue Bears stayed close for a little while. Through the middle of the second half the Blue Bears got the critical buckets to stop runs by the Firebirds, but couldn't get the defensive stops.
Greg Henry got Livingstone within seven points with 8:14 left, but a 14-4 run by UDC gave the Firebirds an 80-63 lead with 3:53 left. Over the final four minutes the Blue Bears picked up the defensive pressure, holding the Firebirds to only one point over the final three minutes, but points for the Blue Bears only came at the free-throw line over that same period, which wasn't enough in the end.
Omar Ford-Bey led the Blue Bears with 14 points Thursday while Darius Cox recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Livingstone shot 33.8 percent from the field for the game, but struggled from long range, connecting on only 2-of-16 long-range attempts. The Blue Bears also hit 87 percent of their free-throw attempts. The Firebirds shot 52.5 percent from the floor including 40.9 percent from three-point range.
The Blue Bears will travel to Fayetteville, NC for a 7:30 p.m. conference contest against the Broncos of Fayetteville State University.
