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Ogwumike leads Sun to 89-79 win over Stars

By WTOP Staff

RAUL DOMINGUEZ
Associated Press

SAN ANTONIO (AP) — Being such a young team has been a detriment at times for the Connecticut Sun, but their enthusiasm and energy provided a needed boost against the veteran San Antonio Stars.

Chiney Ogwumike had 24 points and 12 rebounds, the 12th double-double of her rookie season, and Connecticut fended off a late rally to beat San Antonio 89-79 on Friday night.

Rookie Alyssa Thomas and second-year Alex Bentley had 18 points each and Renee Montgomery added 11 for the Sun, who snapped a four-game skid.

“When you look at our ages, we tell ourselves, ‘Hey, we need to go out there and be young, feel young,'” Ogwumike said. “We make mistakes because we’re young, but, at the same time, we need to play like young kids with all that energy. So I think we used that to our advantage and we tried to be productive when we’re running and attacking the boards. Being young can hurt us, but it definitely helped us tonight.”

Connecticut (11-17) pulled within a game of New York (11-15) for the fourth and final playoff berth in the Eastern Conference with just over two weeks remaining in the season.

Kayla McBride scored 27 points, Danielle Adams had 15 points and Danielle Robinson 10 for San Antonio, which has lost six of eight.

The Stars (13-15) remain a half-game ahead of the Los Angeles Sparks (12-15) for third place in the Western Conference.

After trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, 3-pointers by Becky Hammon and Adams pulled San Antonio within 78-69 with 2:46 remaining.

McBride completed a three-point play to pull the Stars within 79-74 with 1:45 remaining, but Thomas and Montgomery helped seal the victory for the Sun.

“Our backs are against the wall,” Connecticut coach Anne Donovan said. “We’re trying to get into the postseason. I was pleased at how we came out in the first quarter. It just showed the sense of urgency that we sometimes lack this season.”

The Sun outscored the Stars 40-26 in the paint and shot 54 percent from the field. They went 5 for 12 on 3-pointers, making all of them in the first half on nine attempts.

“They were hitting shots early,” McBride said. “I don’t think it had anything to do with matchups. They came out with a greater intensity, and they just wanted the game more.”

Thomas opened the game 4-for-5 shooting, including a 3-pointer that sparked a 19-2 run bridging the first and second quarters.

Kelsey Griffin’s 3-pointer gave the Sun a 27-12 lead with 8:28 remaining in the first half.

“I thought we had a good game plan,” Donovan said. “We knew how they were going to defend ball screens. I think we attacked that pretty well, made them a little more uncomfortable. Our offense off of that was pretty good in the early part of it, they had to change up how they were changing ball screens and that gave us a nice head start in the first quarter.”

After Robinson hit a 19-foot jumper on the wing with 2 minutes left in the first quarter, the Stars did not score again until Kayla Alexander pushed her way in for a layup with 7:28 remaining in the first half. Following a missed 3-pointer by Montgomery, Shenise Johnson made a 16-foot jumper to cut Connecticut’s lead to 27-16 with 7 minutes left in the first half.

The Sun would go on another run, though, outscoring the Stars 16-6 with Ogwumike and Montgomery combining to score all but two points in the run.

“I sensed that Connecticut was very attacking in nature and taking shots, and I thought we were going to deal with that,” San Antonio coach Dan Hughes said. “I felt that there would be a period that we would grab hold, but didn’t grab hold until late in the game. By then, we were playing catch up.”

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Don’t Settle for Student Loans to Pay for Online Education

By WTOP Staff
Online college programs are becoming a more popular choice for prospective students, with one study finding that more than 6 million students enrolled in at least one online course in fall 2015. The popularity of these courses can be attributed in part to their flexibility with working adults' schedules, students' ability to progress more quickly through online programs and, oftentimes, cheaper tuition. [See 10 low-cost online bachelor's programs for out-of-state students.]Online degrees can be beneficial to many college students, but some studies have shown online learners complete their programs at lower rates than students at traditional brick-and-mortar campuses. Individuals with student loans but no degree comprise two-thirds of defaulted borrowers. Though these numbers are not encouraging, just like for traditional programs, there are ways to reduce how much you'll need to borrow for an online program to ensure you won't become one of these statistics. Don't just settle on borrowing student loans to cover the whole cost of your program and living expenses. Instead, start thinking about how to cut costs and cover your balance in different ways, such as the following. -- Grants and scholarships: Even though you are taking an online course, you can still apply and receive grants and scholarships. But your first step should be to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, commonly referred to as the FAFSA, which will allow you to receive a Pell Grant if your expected family contribution is low enough. The EFC criteria and award amounts are adjusted annually, but the 2017-2018 academic year awards range from $606 to $5,920, which could significantly lower the amount you borrow annually. Your next step is to apply for scholarships. You can start by checking online scholarship search engines, such as the Salt Scholarship Search, College Board's BigFuture and Peterson's. But don't forget to take advantage of local organizations and your school's financial aid office. Both may offer scholarships that you can't find with a national scholarship search. [Review these 10 sites to kick off your scholarship search.]For instance, organizations like the Elks Club, Knights of Columbus or the Rotary Club typically offer scholarships annually to local students. Just because you're going to school online doesn't mean you're ineligible. Visit your local library for scholarship listings, and ask around town. You might be surprised how many local organizations offer scholarships. While these scholarships typically aren't large, every little bit counts. Each dollar you receive in a scholarship is a dollar you don't have to borrow and pay interest on. -- Work-study: Another option for online students may be work-study awards. Not all students enrolled in online programs are eligible, but students at some schools -- including, for example, SUNY Empire State College and Liberty University -- are. Work-study awards are not given upfront like scholarships and grants. In most cases, they are an offer to earn up to the awarded amount if you secure an eligible work-study job. While there is a misconception that all work-study jobs must be on campus, students can work for off-campus, nonprofit or public employers as long as the work is in the public's interest. You may be able to work for a for-profit employer if the job is relevant to your course of study. No matter who the outside employer is, it will need to have an established agreement with your college for you to receive work-study funds. Remember, to be eligible for federal financial aid, you must be enrolled and pursuing a degree or certificate. If you're not working toward a credential, Pell Grants and work-study won't be option, but you may still be able to take advantage of private scholarships -- just be sure to read the eligibility criteria carefully. [Explore what to know about financial aid in online programs.]-- Pay as you go: One of the great benefits to enrolling online is the flexible schedule, which can allow you to complete your college coursework around your responsibilities. But prospective students often overlook using their part- or full-time job earnings as an option for paying for college. Almost 80 percent of college students in 2015 worked at least part time while attending classes, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. By budgeting and thinking strategically about your college costs, you can likely reduce your dependence on student loans by paying a portion out of pocket. Many -- but not all -- online programs are less expensive than traditional programs and often have shorter payment periods. Six, eight or 10 weeks are common course durations. Because of the frequency of payments in an online setting, you may be well-placed to pay as you go and possibly avoid borrowing altogether. Attending college online and avoiding student loans may be challenging, but if you are willing to put in the effort, you can limit the amount you need to borrow. More from U.S. News Q&A: Understanding Student Loan Discharge Eligibility Student Loan Refinancing Isn't Right for All Borrowers
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