Loose Lady Dawgs Travel to Little Rock for Tough Matchup Against Philander Smith

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – After struggling to defeat Wiley University on Thursday, the Fisk University Lady Bulldogs (12-6, 9-1 GCAC) will try to add to their nine-game Gulf Coast Athletic Conference winning streak when they travel to take on a tough Philander Smith Lady Panther (15-5, 8-2) team in Little Rock, Arkansas.

Philander is the only GCAC team to defeat four-time champion Rust College this season. On December 9, the Lady Dawgs on the strength of All-American Maya Buckhanon's 27 points and 15 rebounds defeated the Lady Panthers 71-63. A win by Fisk would put some needed distance between the two teams in the conference standings.

"Philander has a lot of athletes, and they can shoot the ball well especially at home," said Fisk Head Coach Victoria Crawford. "I am sure they will be ready for us. Thursday's game let us know that no one is afraid of us. I told them that we need to stop thinking to much and play. We have to play loose and start fast."

On Thursday, the Lady Panthers scored 93 points in their win against Oakwood University, Ari Winston scored 33 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in the game. Winston came in the game averaging 8.8 points per game. GCAC Preseason Player of the Year Myia Yelder had 18 points. They come in on a six-game winning streak. The Panthers have already avenged their only other conference loss to Dillard University. A win would put them in a tie for second-place in the GCAC,  Key to this game is how the Lady Bulldogs will handle Philander's full court press. 

The WMG "Pick 2 Click" is Courtney Lumpkin. In her first game in a Fisk uniform on Thursday, Lumpkin started and scored ten points. She also dished out three assists and had three steals.

Game 18: Fisk University (12-6, 9-1 GCAC) at Philander Smith University (15-5, 8-2)

Date/Time: Saturday, January 26 | 2:00 p.m. (CST)

Watch:  HBCU Plus

Location: Mims Gymnasium, Little Rock, Arkansas

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.

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 Oakwood University on February 3.