BALTIMORE, MD (February 24, 2023) - No. 6 seed Shaw
never trailed in the 59-45 CIAA women's semifinals victory as Lincoln (PA) proved no match for the Bears, who will head to the CIAA Women's Basketball Championship to face No. 5 seeded Elizabeth City State.
Food Lion's Player of the Game Tanayja London led the contest with 23 points and eight rebounds, while shooting 11-of-23 from the field. London also added four assists and three steals.
Shaw came roaring out of halftime, taking a 34-24 lead with 6:07 left to go in the third. The No. 2 seeded Lions and 2022 conference champions were able to cut the deficit down to as much as five but the Bears' defense got stingier as time went on, taking a 43-33 lead into the final quarter. There were no fourth quarter heroics as London hit a turnaround jumper to make it a 48-35 lead with 5:21 left to go and Shaw's Makenzie Pollard followed up with a layup for a 15-point lead with just 2:12 remaining.
Shaw never trailed but the game was tied twice. Early in the second quarter, Lincoln (PA)'s Kania Pollock banked in a three-pointer as time expired in the shot clock to tie the game at 16-all. Shaw would then catch heat scoring six points straight capped by a layup from Tanayja London and the Bears headed into the locker room with a 28-22 lead. From the very beginning, Shaw came out firing as Pollard hit two straight threes to give her squad an 8-2 lead with 5:54 left in the first quarter.
Shaw's Brittiney Seymour ended with 16 points and six boards while 6-of-10 from the field. MaKenzie Pollard scored 14 points along with three rebounds, two assists and three steals.
Anyssa Fields led the Lions with 11 points shooting 5-of-11 from the field, while grabbing five board with four dimes and three steals. Ciani Montgomery scored 10 points shooting 5-of-9 with five rebounds and two steals. D'Ayzha Atkinson ended with nine points and a team-high nine boards.
The Bears will be aiming for their 11th CIAA crown, including nine under Head Coach Jacques Curtis, against No. 5 Elizabeth City State on Saturday at 4 p.m. Shaw swept ECSU in two games during the regular season.