This Week in CIAA Men’s Basketball Action

CIAA Men’s Basketball Players of the Week

Player of the Week

Name:  Trevin Parks                                                    School: Johnson C. Smith University
Cl.  Sr.    Pos.  Guard    Ht. 5'11 Wt. 165                   Hometown: Hickory, NC 

Week’s Stats 

Top Performance vs.  Saint Augustine's  Date  02/13/13 

Player of the Week - Notes of Interest
Parks exploded this week by scoring a new career-high 41 points in a divisional win over Saint Augustine's. He scored 32 points in the second half to will his team to a 76-68 victory. Parks averaged 27 points and three assists in the two games this week. 

Newcomer of the Week

Name: Percy Woods                                          School: St. Augustine’s University
Cl.  Sr.    Pos.  G    Ht. 5-10 Wt. 160                  Hometown: Washington, DC 

Week’s Stats 

Top Performance vs.  Shaw  Date  2/16/13 

Newcomer of the Week - Notes of Interest
Percy Woods averaged 13.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 3.5 assists in two games this past week. He had 14 points, seven rebounds and three assists vs. Shaw and 13 points and four assists versus JCSU. 

Rookie of the Week

Name: Ken Pankey                       School: Virginia Union University
Class:  FR    Pos:  G    Ht:   5-9  Wt: 164    Hometown: Richmond, VA 

Week’s Stats  

Top Performance vs.  Lincoln (Pa.)  Date:  2/16/13 

Rookie of the Week - Notes of Interest
Freshman Ken Pankey scored a career-high 20 points against Lincoln (Pa.) University on February 16. Pankey also had a 17-point effort in VUU's 86-72 win over Washington Adventist University on February 11, in Barco-Stevens Hall. 

Coach of the Week

James Stinson, Livingstone University
Stinson guided his team to two road victories with a big win in Charlotte against JCSU. Stinson also snapped his single season win record with his now 18-5 season. His team also held Smith's leading scorer to just 13 points. 

MARQUEE MATCHUPS OF THE WEEK:

It’s the final week of regular season in the CIAA hoops race and both division crowns are still up for grabs.  A series of regular season splits among the top four teams in Southern Division has created some interesting scenarios.  All four teams face off this week against each other.  Livingstone and Winston-Salem State are tied for the division lead with 6-2 records.  If they both win on Wednesday, it sets up a winner take all showdown on Saturday. Lose, and things get a little more convoluted with Saint Augustine’s and Johnson C. Smith tied for second and just one game back, with 5-3 records.  In the Northern Division, Elizabeth City State and Lincoln are tied for the division lead at 6-2 and split their two regular season meetings.  Should they both win their remaining two games, the Vikings and Lions would finish with identical division, conference, and overall records, necessitating a coin flip to determine the division winner.  With both division races going down to the wire, several teams will be involved in critical matchups this week.  Here’s a look at the division title contenders and their remaining games.  

Southern Division

Livingstone (18-5, 10-4 CIAA, 6-2 Southern Division): The Blue Bears head into the week tied for the division lead with Winston-Salem State with a 6-2 record.  Livingstone controls its own destiny; win out and they are Southern Division champions.  But with remaining games against second place Saint Augustine’s on Wednesday and their regular season finale against division co-leader Winston-Salem State on Saturday, it won’t come easy for the Blue Bears.  Livingstone loss to Saint Augustine’s 85-76 on January 30, but have won four straight, including a 75-72 win over Winston-Salem State on February 2.  The Blue Bears are coming off a 68-56 road win over Johnson C. Smith on Saturday.  Mark Thomas scored 19 points, handed out four assists, and grabbed six rebounds to lead Livingstone.  Ethan Anderson added 14 points for the Blue Bears.

Winston-Salem State (19-4, 12-2 CIAA, 6-2 Southern Division):  The Rams stayed in the hunt for the Southern Division title with Saturday’s 68-61 win over Fayetteville State.  Like Livingstone, the Rams control their fate. Beat Johnson C. Smith on Wednesday and win their rubber match with the Blues Bear on Saturday and they win the division.  In their first meeting on January 30, the Rams defeated Johnson C. Smith 92-82 behind Justin Glover’s 29 points.  Livingstone got the best of the Rams on their home court in their first meeting, escaping the Gaines Center with a 75-72 win on February 2. 

Saint Augustine (15-9, 8-6 CIAA, 5-3 Southern Division):  Two weeks ago, the Falcons were one of the hottest teams in the league; winners of six straight and sitting atop the Southern Division.  They’ve cooled off considerably since then, losing three straight and dropping into a tie for second place with a 5-3 record in the division.  Despite the recent skid, the Falcons are still factors in Southern Division race.  They host division leader Livingstone on Wednesday and can throw a major wrench in the works with a win.  Tyquan Stroman scored 23 points as Saint Augustine’s defeated the Blue Bears 85-76 on January 30.  The Falcons close out the regular season on Saturday when they host Fayetteville State. 

Johnson C. Smith (16-8, 9-5 CIAA, 5-3 Southern Division):  The Golden Bulls, tied for second in the division, close out the regular season with road trips to Winston-Salem State on Wednesday and Shaw on Saturday.  They are coming off a 68-56 loss to division co-leader Livingstone on Saturday, but knocked off the Blue Bears 97-89 on January 26 for the regular season split.  The Golden Bulls lost to Winston-Salem State 92-82 on January 30.  Golden Bulls guard Trevin Parks leads the CIAA in scoring at 25.0 points per game.  Parks has seven 30-point games this season, including a season-high 41 in a win over Saint Augustine’s on Wednesday.

Northern Division                              

Elizabeth City State (15-9, 8-6 CIAA, 6-2 Northern Division)

The Vikings close out the regular season with a road trip to second place Virginia Union on Wednesday and their home finale versus a dangerous Bowie State team on Saturday.  ECSU is coming off a 91-87 overtime win over Virginia State as Angelo Sharpless erupted for 37 points and 10 rebounds.  The Vikings are 1-1 against this week’s opponents.  They handily defeated the VUU Panthers 82-58 in their first meeting in January.  Sharpless paced Elizabeth City with 30 points in that win.  Three days later, the Vikings dropped a 70-68  decision to Bowie State when Sharpless battled foul trouble and was limited to just 13 points.  Sharpless is third in the conference in scoring at 21.2 points a game and leads the CIAA in rebounding with 9.1 boards per game.

Lincoln (15-9, 8-6 CIAA, 6-2 Northern Division)

After opening the season at 7-2, the Lions went 4-6 in the month of January and fell off the pace.  Since then, they have won four of five games to climb back into the division title race.  On Saturday, the Lions got three free throws from Richard Glover down the stretch and edged Virginia Union 60-58 to get a season split with the Panthers.  Lincoln closes out the season with home games against Chowan on Wednesday and Virginia State on Saturday.  The Lions are 2-0 against this week’s opponents, defeating Chowan 74-62 on January 30 and beating Virginia State 64-55 on February 2. 

CIAA Women’s Players of the Week

Player of the Week

Name:  Kristen Hanzer                                School: Fayetteville State University
Cl.  Sr.    Pos.  G    Ht.   5-10                        Hometown: Youngsville, NC 

Week’s Stats 

Top Performance vs.  Livingstone  Date  Feb. 13, 2013 

Player of the Week - Notes of Interest
Hanzer led the Fayetteville State offense last week averaging 20.0 points per game while grabbing 4.5 rebounds per game and shot 46.4 percent (13-of-28) from the field. Kristen also made 13 of her 20 attempts at the free-throw line and recorded nine steals and eight assists as FSU went 2-0 last week on the court. Hanzer had a team-high 27 points, eight steals and seven rebounds in a home win over Livingstone and was 9-of-11 from the free-throw line against Livingstone; followed with 13 points and four assists in a road victory at Winston-Salem State. 

Newcomer of the Week

Name:  Shuanda Ashford                            School: Fayetteville State University
Cl.  Sr.    Pos.  F/C    Ht.  6-1                         Hometown: Fayetteville, NC 

Week’s Stats 

Top Performance vs.  Livingstone  Date  Feb. 13, 2013 

Newcomer of the Week - Notes of Interest

Ashford was second on the team in scoring last week averaging 18.5 points per game while pulling down a team-best 7.5 rebounds per contest. Ashford shot 59.1 percent (13-of-22) from the field and was successful on nine of her 13 free-throw attempts and averaged 32.5 minutes of playing time per game. Ashford made all nine of her free-throw attempts against Livingstone and finished the game with 20 points. He followed with a 17-point, nine rebound performance at Winston-Salem State and shot 61.5 percent (8-of-13) from the field against WSSU. 

Rookie of the Week
Name:  Terri Jacobs                                    School: St. Augustine’s University
Cl.  Fr.    Pos.  F    Ht. 6-1                            Hometown: McDonough, GA 
Week’s Stats 

Top Performance vs.  Johnson C. Smith  Date:  2/13/13 

Rookie of the Week - Notes of Interest
Terri Jacobs averaged 12.5 points, seven rebounds and 1.5 steals in two games this past week. She had 13 points and six rebounds vs. Shaw on Saturday and 12 points, eight rebounds, two steals and a block in a victory over JCSU on Wednesday. She shot 5-for-8 from the floor and 2-for-2 from the free throw line vs. JCSU. 

Coach of the Week

A.G. Hall, Winston-Salem State University
Coach Hall nearly led the Lady Rams to a sweep of top-25 opponents. In fact, the team came within four points of completing the feat. After leading the team to a 68-60 win at #15 Shaw, the Lady Rams took #20 Fayetteville State down to the wire, falling just 59-55. Wednesday's win was the third straight CIAA Southern Division win for the team. 

MARQUEE MATCHUP OF THE WEEK:

#15 Shaw (20-4, 11-3 CIAA, 6-2 Southern Division) at

#20 Fayetteville State (21-3, 13-1 CIAA, 7-1 Southern Division)                          

Wednesday February 20

In this week’s featured CIAA matchup, the 15^th ranked Shaw Lady Bears travel to Fayetteville to take on the 20^th ranked Fayetteville State Lady Broncos in a showdown for the Southern Division.  Division leader FSU has won six games in a row, including a huge 66-64 win at Shaw on January 30.  Shaw, the defending National and CIAA champions, had won nine in a row following a 96-86 loss to Elizabeth City in January, but have uncharacteristically dropped two of their last five games, to slide down to second place in the division. 

Shaw Lady Bears:  Shaw is coming off a 1-1 week.  On Wednesday Winston-Salem State handed the Lady Bears a damaging divisional loss, forcing 28 Shaw turnovers in a 68-60 win.  Shaw bounced back from the loss with a dominant performance in a 20-point win over crosstown rival Saint Augustine’s on Saturday.  The Lady Bears lead the conference in scoring, averaging 79.4 points a game and are third in the nation in rebounding margin at +13.2.  Senior Taylor Dalrymple leads a balanced Shaw squad.  The 6-1 forward averages 14.6 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.  

Fayetteville State Lady Broncos: Since an 83-78 loss to Livingstone in January, the Lady Broncos have reeled off six wins in a row, including a 30-point win in their rematch with Livingstone last Wednesday and continue to move up in the national rankings.  In addition to their big win over Livingstone, the Lady Broncos edged upset minded Winston-Salem by four points on Saturday.  A win on Wednesday over the battle-tested Lady Bears, would give the Lady Broncos an insurmountable two-game lead over Shaw and clinch the Southern Division. A loss would open the door some for Shaw, but Fayetteville could still clinch the title with a win over Saint Augustine’s in Saturday’s regular season finale.  It all boils down to simple math for the Broncos; win one of two this week and they’re Southern Division Champions. For Shaw, they must win out and hope that Saint Augustine’s can take down the Lady Broncos on Saturday.  Tipoff in this critical Southern Division contest is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at FSU’s Capel Arena.

HOT HANDS:

Fayetteville Lady Broncos:

Kristen Hanzer, Sr. Forward, 5-11 (18.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 3.8 spg, 3.3 apg), Shuanda Ashford, Sr. Center, 6-1 (14.8 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 0.9 spg), Akysia Resper, Jr. Guard, 5-5 (10.7 ppg, 3.8 apg, 2.8 spg, 2.4 rpg), Alicia Person, Sr. Guard, 5-7 (8.0 ppg, 1.2 apg), Tierra Coleman, Sr. Forward, 6-1 (6.6 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 0.9 bpg)

Shaw Lady Bears:

Kearah Jeffreys, Jr. Guard, 5-4 (10.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 1.2 apg), Ronika Ransford, Jr. Point Guard, 5-6 (15.5 ppg, 3.4 rpg, 2.9 apg), Crystal Harris, Sr. Center, 6-1 (10.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg), Taylor Dalrymple, Sr. Forward, 6-1 (14.6 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.6 apg)

LAST TIME OUT:

Shaw 88                      Saint Augustine’s 68

Taylor Dalrymple led all scorers with 16 points and eight rebounds as Shaw downed Saint Augustine’s 88-68 on Saturday for their 20^th win of the season.  Crystal Harris added 16 points and 12 of Shaw’s season-high 64 rebounds. 

Fayetteville State 59                         Winston-Salem State 55

Shuanda Ashford had 17 points and nine rebounds and Kristen Hanzer added 13 points and four assists as Fayetteville State edged Winston-Salem State 59-55 on Saturday.  Keyrra Gillespie scored 14 points for the Lady Rams while Dionna Scott added 13 and Taylar Wells had 10.

LAST MEETING:          January 30, 2013

Akysia Resper's layup, with 13 seconds remaining, lifted Fayetteville State to a 66-64 victory over 9th ranked Shaw at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium in Raleigh.  Resper was one of three Lady Broncos in double-figures with 18 points.  Kristen Hanzer recorded her third double-double of the season with a game-high 19 points and 10 rebounds.  Alicia Person added 10 points for FSU.  Crystal Harris led Shaw with 16 points and 13 rebounds.  Ronika Ransford scored a team-high 17 points and Kearah Jeffreys added 13 points for the Lady Bears.

THE MATCHUP BY THE NUMBERS