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Bentley has 22 points, leads Sun past Storm 86-63

By WTOP Staff

MARK MOSCHETTI
Associated Press

SEATTLE (AP) — Chiney Ogwumike started slow, but Alex Bentley more than made up for it.

Bentley scored 22 points, and rookie standout Ogwumike eventually finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds, helping the Connecticut Sun beat the Seattle Storm 86-63 on Tuesday.

Connecticut (10-13) snapped a three-game losing streak. The Sun had lost seven of their previous eight.

Bentley scored 16 of her points during the first half. Ogwumike, who had just four points at halftime, got into double figures for the 20th time in her first 21 games. The double-double was her eighth. Kelsey Bone chipped in 16 points off the bench.

“We don’t try to depend on any one player. We try to make sure everyone is playing the basketball we need to,” said Ogwumike, the former Stanford star and No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. “Alex was really hot in the beginning, and we loved that because she was able to give us confidence for our shooters and get our posts going and everything.”

Added Bentley, “They were all over Katie Douglas, and it just opened up a lot of things for every one of us on the court. I just took my open looks, and my posts were setting great screens.”

Camille Little pumped in 14 points for the Storm (9-15), who have lost three of their past four, and were kept below 70 points for the 14th time in 24 games. Crystal Langhorne had 11 points and Sue Bird 10 for Seattle.

The Sun limited the Storm to just eight points in the second quarter on the way to a 39-30 halftime lead. Seattle got as close as seven midway through the third at 44-37.

But Connecticut ran off the next six points to make it 50-37 and kept the margin in double digits the rest of the afternoon.

“It comes down usually just a certain period of time – it could be four minutes, five minutes – where we let things get away from us,” Bird said. “They got up nine at halftime, and nine’s not great, but it’s not the end of the word. Then we let them get up more so in the third quarter. Once you dig yourself a hole, it’s tough.”

Up 26-24 early in the second quarter, the Sun tightened up defensively. They limited Seattle to just 29 percent shooting through the middle two periods (10 of 34), and 41 percent for the afternoon (27 of 66).

“They were scoring at will, and we really talked about it at the end of the first quarter and tried to lock down and focus,” Connecticut coach Anne Donovan said. “It wasn’t anything we changed up. We just knew we had to lock in. Seattle can score points and they’re dangerous, and we knew that.”

The Sun shot a season-high 53 percent from the field (35 of 66) and rarely went more than one possession without a point.

“We didn’t get a series of stops to be able to play out of that (deficit),” Storm coach Brian Agler said. “We count on that. It’s important for us to get consecutive stops and hold people down, and that didn’t happen today very often.”

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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