Lady Dawgs Look to Add to Winning Streak with Trip to Texas and Arkansas

MARSHALL, TX. – The Fisk University Lady Bulldogs (11-6, 8-1 GCAC) have won eight straight Gulf Coast Athletic Conference games. They now venture into the second time around in their GCAC schedule when they travel 562 miles to take on the Wiley University Wildcats (10-7, 5-4 GCAC).

Because of bad weather in Nashville, the Lady Dawgs have not played since January 13, when they defeated Southern University of New Orleans 65-36 at home. Wiley has struggled as of late, losing five of their last six games. They have been tough at home, recording a 6-3 record.

"It is hard to beat a team twice, especially when you are playing them at their place," said Fisk Head Coach Victoria Crawford." Games like this concern me because we have a big game on Saturday. We still must cut down on our turnovers. Long trip so we will need to be ready. They have seen us before so I am sure they will have a few wrinkles."

Lady Wildcat leading scorer Jamiya Eaddy (13.7 ppg) has mixed the last two games. Ashunti Cooper picked up the slack in her absence, scoring her career-high 23 points in the loss to Dillard University, earning her the GCAC Player of the Week honors.

Fisk has been riding NAIA All American Maya Buckhanon all season. Buckhanon has been getting support lately from Jayla Bibbs, A'Niya Young and De'Lesia Scott who all have recorded double-doubles in the past three games. Young's 16-point, 19 rebound effort against Dillard were both season highs for her.

The WMG "Pick 2 Click" is De'Lesia Scott. Scott has been a force off the bench for the Lady Bulldogs. As the season goes on and teams try to take away Buckhanon. Look for Scott to get more chances around the basket.

Game 18: Fisk University (11-6, 8-1 GCAC) at Wiley University (10-7, 5-4)

Date/Time: Thursday, January 24 | 5:00 p.m. (CST)

Watch:  HBCU Plus

Location: Alumni Gymnasium, Marshall, Texas

Crawford Charisma

Head coach Victoria Crawford has gained a lot of ground in the community after only being in Nashville for a little over a year. She put on a fundraising golf tournament this summer that was well attended. Crawford has crossed with some of the Who's Who of the Nashville scene, including Johari Matthews of the Tennessee Titans, politicians like Deputy Mayor Brenda Haywood, State Representative Dr. Harold Love, and Criminal Court Clerk Howard Gentry. When she arrived to play at the University of Memphis, she followed Nashville Judge Rachel Bell there.

Maya's Many Accolades

Maya Buckhanon returns this season after being named to the NAIA All-American Second Team. Buckhanon was the GCAC Most Valuable and Defensive Player of the Year. So far this season, she has been named the GCAC Player of the Week five times, the TSWA Player of the Week twice, and she was voted as the NAIA National Player of the Week once.

Hanging With Coach Cooper

Last season, Anthony Cooper was named the GCAC Assistant Coach of the Year. Cooper is one of the hottest prospects around the country for a head coaching job.

Gibbs Giving Game

Liz Gibbs came to Fisk this season as a highly touted transfer from Division I Austin Peay State University. After a slow start, she has been on fire for the past two games, scoring 16 points in each game and earning the final GCAC Newcomer of the Week award for 2023.

Eliotti Excels

Junior Laila Eliotti has represented Fisk well on and off the court. The Computer Science major spent part of her last two summers in Seattle, Washington, interning with the Meta University Software Engineering Academy and Zillow.

Zip, Fast and in a Hurry

Senior Zipporah Davis is the lone returner named to the GCAC all-preseason team. She is ranked second in returner scorers on the team at 9.3 ppg. Her quickness on the defensive end will also be depended upon for the Lady Bulldog's success this season.

Old Faces, Same Spaces

Some old faces are back on the court for Fisk. After taking a year off, junior post player De'Lesia Scott and classmate power forward Mya Robinson are back in uniform. They, along with A'NIya Young and Eliotti, were part of the Notorious Nine recruiting class of 2021.

NEXT UP:

The Lady Bulldogs will finish their road trip when they take on Philander Smith on Saturday.