Baltimore, MD (February 27, 2024) - Day 2 CIAA Tournament Recaps
Women: Bluefield State 59, Livingstone 56
Alexyss Newman scored 20 points to lead Bluefield State to a 59-56 victory over Livingstone College in a Food Lion Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament women’s first-round game at CFG Arena Tuesday morning.
In raising its overall record to 15-12 overall, the Big Blue advances to a quarterfinal meeting against Southern Division regular season champion Fayetteville State on Wednesday at 4:30 p.m.
Bluefield State also got 13 points from Katrina Davis. Food Lion game MVP Gabrielle Thomas contributed eight points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Azariah Binford finished with nine points and eight assists for Bluefield State, which survived a late game-tying 3-point attempt in the final five seconds to hold off Livingstone.
Livingstone’s top scorers were Nielle Reaves (20 points) and Jamiah Lane (12 points). Morgan Kelson led the Blue Bears with eight rebounds.
Women: St. Augustine's 64, Lincoln 52
The Saint Augustine's women's basketball team got a 20-point showing from the bench on the way to a 64-52 win over the Lincoln (PA) Lions at CFG Bank Arena Tuesday.
The Falcons (15-12) had four players score in double figures, led by Taniyah Greene, who had 19 points and six rebounds. Janiya Reed tacked on 12 points, seven rebounds and three steals off of the bench and Lauren Banks helped out with a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Ashlyn Mesidor pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Saint Augustine's, grabbing 17 boards and turning them into 18 second chance points.
The Saint Augustine's defense held Lincoln (PA) shooters to only 26.2 percent from the field, including 25 percent from three-point range. The Falcons also kept Ciani Montgomery to 2-of-12 shooting and six points in the game.
After playing to a 2-2 tie early in the game, Saint Augustine's went on a 10-0 run with 7:45 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Reed, to take a 12-2 lead, a score that would hold for the rest of the period. Saint Augustine's did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 10 of its 12 points close to the basket.
Saint Augustine's kept its first quarter lead intact before going on an 8-0 run starting at the 4:43 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Greene, to increase its lead to 23-10. The Falcons proceeded to tack on two points to that lead and enjoyed a 30-15 advantage heading into halftime. Saint Augustine's dominated in the paint, scoring 14 of its 18 points close to the basket.
After intermission, Saint Augustine's held on to its advantage and owned a 42-27 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Saint Augustine's played well near the basket, scoring six of its 12 points in the paint.
Saint Augustine's kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Reed's layup, to grow the lead to 64-49 with 49 seconds to go in the contest. The Lions narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Falcons still cruised the rest of the way for the 64-52 win. Saint Augustine's took advantage of seven Lincoln (PA) turnovers in the quarter, scoring seven points off of those takeaways.
The Falcons advance to the 2nd round to face the 1seed from the North - Elizabeth City State at 2:20 pm on Wednesday.
Women: Shaw 65, Virginia Union 64
The No. 6 Shaw University Lady Bears (14-14) Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament hopes are still alive after defeating the No. 3 Virginia Union University Lady Panthers (16-12), 65-64 Tuesday, Feb. 27 in CFG Bank Arena.
In the opening quarter, Shaw held a 4-0 lead at the halfway mark and eventually grew a lead of seven before Virginia Union peeled off a 5-0 run to cut the deficit 14-12 at the end of the quarter.
A fast break bucket from Kiara Shepherd gave VUU a lead of one (15-14) in the second quarter but the frame would see two ties before floater from Nevaeh Reeves led to a 4-2 spurt and 29-27 lead for the Lady Panthers over Shaw at halftime.
The third quarter would be all Shaw as the Lady Bears outscored the Lady Panthers 12-8 with a 39-37 advantage heading into the fourth quarter. SU led by as many as six points in the fourth before Virginia Union slowly pulled within three on a 3-pointer from Reaves with 3:18 remaining in regulation.
A 3-pointer from Taniah Johnson gave VUU a two-point cushion which then led to the Lady Panthers extending its lead by four before Shaw answered with a 3-pointer from Elisha Quinn with 13 seconds left to play. Virginia Union went 1-of-2 from the free throw line with nine seconds left and then Shaw scored a layup from Zniyyah Ross-Barnes which would send the game into overtime.
The overtime period was even more dramatic as both teams exchanged point-for-point but the Lady Bears sealed the game on a tough layup from Camilla Barreno with just four seconds left and ultimately the victory. Virginia Union was led by Reaves with 17 points and three assists, followed by Shepherd with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson added 12 points and Ny Langley contributed 11 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Ross-Barnes led Shaw with 17 points and 14 rebounds while Barreno and Raneem Elbarky both finished with 15 points each. Elbarky tallied eight rebounds while Barreno dished out four assist and was named the Food Lion MVP. Shaw will now face No. 2 Claflin on Thursday, Feb. 29 at 12 noon in the CIAA Quarterfinal Round.
Women: Johnson C Smith 65, Winston-Salem State 59
The final women's game of day two featured Johnson C. Smith and Winston-Salem State, who defeated Bowie State the night prior to earn a spot in the next round.
Winston-Salem's Kennedi Simmons got the scoring started early, netting five consecutive points to give the Rams a 5-0 lead. The matchup was a back-and-forth affair early on, as the early deficit by the Golden Bulls was quickly erased, with Johnson C. Smith turning their 5-0 deficit into a 13-12 lead. Both teams continued to battle on both sides of the ball with the scoring differential never growing larger than four points, as JCSU held a 27-23 lead heading into the break. Johnson C Smith's Queen Ruffin got going in a big way in the third quarter, netting 10 points and propelling her squad to a 48-38 lead heading into the final quarter.
Leading the way for JCSU was senior Ashlei Kirven who had a near perfect game on both sides of the ball. Offensively, she was 8-8 from the field for 19 total points. She finished the game with a double-double, snagging an impressive 13 rebounds, while also adding in three blocks. For the Rams, Kakaiya Mack was the top scorer with 12 points. Both she and Amaya Tucker shot 5-9 from the field, with Tucker adding 11 points of her own.
The Golden Bulls will enjoy a day off then return to face off against Virginia State in the tournament quarterfinals on Thursday, February 29 at 6:00 P.M.
Men: Bowie State 69, Livingstone 66
The No. 4 seed Bowie State Bulldogs survived a dramatic comeback attempt in the second half as the No. 5 seed Livingstone Blue Bears erased a 17-point deficit but the Bulldogs were able to hang on for the 69-66 win Tuesday night during the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men’s Basketball Tournament opening round at the CFG Bank Arena.
The Bulldogs (12-16) will face the No. 1 seed Fayetteville State Broncos on Wednesday, Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m. in the quarterfinal round.
Bowie State got off to a hot start, shooting 40-percent from the field (12-30) and it started in the first five minutes of action when the Bulldogs held a 7-2 lead capped by a layup from Joel Webb. The game tied at the 11:45 mark (13-13) when Livingstone’s Demar McCrae hit a jumper but the Bulldogs responded with a 3-pointer from Warren Mouganda that ignited a 20-11 run and a 12-point advantage that would give BSU a 36-24 lead at intermission.
The Blue Bears trailed by as many as 17 points in the second half before plowing away at the deficit, cutting the Bulldogs lead to single digits by scoring eight unanswered points that resulted in a 45-37 scoring frame with under 14 minutes remaining in contest.
Livingstone (12-16) got as close as one point twice at the eight minute and 7:28 mark but a layup from Webb would lead to another seven-point surge for the Bulldogs at least three times. However, despite the deficit, LC would not go away quietly. The Blue Bears continued to fight, eventually pulling within two points thanks to a jumper from Teon Tiller with six seconds remaining but BSU would hold on for the win after Caleb Johnson hit a pair of free throws in the final seconds.
Tiller finished with 17 points, including 10-of-12 shooting from the free throw line and four rebounds while Khyree Temple (15 points, 10 rebounds) and Omarion Broderick (11 points and 13 rebounds) both recorded double doubles, respectively.
Mouganda led Bowie State in scoring with 17 points and was named the Food Lion MVP while Kevon Corley added 15 points and four rebounds. Webb finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds to round out the double digit scoring for the Bulldogs.
Men: Elizabeth City, Shaw
Reggie Raynor scored 21 points, grabbed six rebounds and added a steal to help Elizabeth City State take down Shaw University 70-67 in the final game of Round 2 of the 2024 Food Lion CIAA Tournament. ECSU converted some key foul shots late to help secure the win, making seven of nine foul shots in the second half after not converting on three attempts in the first half. Shaw had a chance to send the game to overtime, but the three-point field goal would roll off the rim.
The Vikings will now play the number 1 seed in the north Lincoln University (Pa.) on Wednesday February 28th at 8:50 p.m.