BALTIMORE, MD (February 22, 2023) - The 2023 CIAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournament continued its sprint towards crowning a conference champion in men's and women's basketball with two first-round men's games and four quarterfinal games (two men's and two women's) on Wednesday, February 22. Check out recaps from the second day of action inside the newly-renovated CFG Bank Arena. 

Men's - #6 Lincoln (PA) 82, #11 Johnson C. Smith 50 (Opening Round)

The No. 6 seed Lincoln (PA) topped the No. 11 seed Johnson C. Smith in convincing fashion by the score of 82-50 during the opening round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday morning.

The Lions held a 36-25 lead at halftime before grooming a 46-25 charge in the second half en route to the 32-point victory. Lincoln (PA) shot 52.2 percent shooting from the field, including 62.5 percent from beyond the arc. The contest featured just six lead changes as the Golden Bulls held its largest lead of three points at the 15:29 mark in the first half. The Lions tacked on 44 points in the paint and gathered a 30-point performance from its bench.

Lincoln (PA) had four players score in double figures led by Bakir Cleveland with 15 points and three assists while All-CIAA player Korey Williams added 14 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Reggie Hudson finished with 13 points, six rebounds, and five assists while Freddie Young, Jr. added 10 points and seven assists.

As for Johnson C. Smith, the Golden Bulls were led by Augustine Ominu with 17 points and nine rebounds. Javon Floyd chipped in 10 points and five rebounds to round out the double-digit scorers for the contest.

UP NEXT: With the win, Lincoln (PA) will face the No. 3 seed Virginia State in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. from the CFG Bank Arena.

Men's - #5 Winston-Salem State 65, #12 Saint Augustine's 49 (Opening Round)

Jaylen Alston led a balanced scoring attack as No. 5 seed Winston-Salem State toppled No. 12 seed Saint Augustine's 65-49 in the men's basketball first round of the CIAA Tournament at CFG Bank Arena on Wednesday.

Alston, named Food Lion Game MVP, paced the Rams (18-8 overall) with 16 points in addition to eight rebounds. Isaac Parson had 12 points and seven assists and Nathan Springs also chipped in 12 points. All-CIAA selection Jaylon Gibson contributed 11 points for the Rams.

Led by eight first-half points from Parson and seven apiece from Gibson and Alston, the Rams built a 30-15 halftime lead while holding the Falcons to 17.9 percent shooting from the field. The Falcons opened the second half on a 6-0 run to close within 30-21 but the Rams steadily pulled away for the win.

Chance Jamison and Nemo Johnson scored 14 and 13 points, respectively, for the Falcons, who finished their season at 8-18 overall. Johnson also grabbed nine rebounds.

UP NEXT: Winston-Salem State will play No. 4 seed Claflin in a Thursday quarterfinal game at 8 p.m.

Women's - #8 Johnson C. Smith 62, #1 Fayetteville State 54 (Quarterfinals)

They say that the CIAA Tournament does not officially start until there is an upset and the No. 8 seed Johnson C. Smith (12-15 overall) delivered just that when the Golden Bulls dropped the Southern Division champion and top-seeded Fayetteville State, 62-54, in the first quarterfinals game of this year's tournament. In a contest that went back-and-forth between division foes, it would be the Golden Bulls that would punch its ticket to the CIAA Women's Basketball Final Four Wednesday afternoon inside the CFG Bank Arena.

The Golden Bulls took a 16-10 lead after the first quarter but the Broncos stampede back, outscoring JCSU 19-14. Johnson C. Smith would hold a slight 30-29 edge at intermission. The Golden Bulls held on to its one-point lead after the third frame despite both teams scoring 15 points apiece.

FSU stole the lead in the fourth and grew its command to seven points but JCSU never wavered. The Golden Bulls eventually tied the contest at 52-all capped by a 3-pointer from All-CIAA performer Shaniya Jones. From there, Johnson C. Smith mustered a 10-2 scoring run in the final three minutes to come away with the upset.

Jones, Food Lion Game MVP, finished with a game-high 27 points, followed by another All-CIAA player in La'Zarea Bowens, who recorded a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Tori Reid grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for JCSU's stat leaders. Fayetteville State was led by Imani Elliott with 13 points.

UP NEXT: The Golden Bulls will take the court Friday at 2:00 p.m. for a chance to earn their place in the conference championship game. JCSU awaits the winner of Thursday's quarterfinals game between Elizabeth City State and Bowie State.  

Women's - #2 Lincoln (PA) 78, #7 Virginia State 57 (Quarterfinals)

The second-seeded Lincoln (PA) Lions (19-8) heated up when it counted to take a 78-57 win over the seventh-seeded Virginia State Trojans (12-16) in the Quarterfinals of the 2023 CIAA Tournament. While tough defense dominated the early portion of the game, the Lions heated up in the fourth quarter to pull away with the win.

The game featured some strong play by both teams. Lincoln (PA) used a steady offensive attack to take the win as senior guard Kania Pollock led four Lady Lions players who reached double-digit scoring in the game. Pollock, the All-CIAA selection and Food Lion Game MVP, scored 15 points while sophomore guard Jaleesa Lanier added 13 points, including hitting three three-pointers. Anyssa Fields, the 2023 CIAA Defensive Player of the Year and all-conference selection, led the Lions' rebounding effort with 11 rebounds. Virginia State was carried by a terrific individual effort by senior guard and all-conference player Sommer Blakemore, who was the only Trojan to reach double-digit scoring with 24 points in the game. Junior forward Kamani Jones led the VSU rebounding effort with 10 boards. She nearly pulled off the double-double with nine points as well.

As the game wound down in the second half, the Lions pulled away late to claim the win. The run began late in the third quarter with just under a minute left and Virginia State clinging to a 42-41 lead. Lincoln (PA) closed the quarter on a seven-point run to take a 48-42 lead into the fourth quarter. From there, the Lions continued to pull away in the fourth quarter, going ahead by as many as 21 points to finish the 78-57 win.

Though the Trojans were the lower seed, they jumped out early to take control of the game with an 11-5 lead after a pair of free throws from Kamani Jones with 2:59 left in the first quarter. The Lions would answer in the second quarter, however, as a three-pointer from Kayiona Willis gave the Lions a 23-19 lead with 3:54 left in the second quarter. Lincoln (PA) would carry their lead into the final minutes, but a late VSU surge left the Trojans on top, 28-27 at halftime.

UP NEXT: With the win, the Lions advance to the Semifinals of the 2023 CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament. Friday at 8 p.m., Lincoln (PA) will take on the winner of the Winston-Salem State/Shaw quarterfinal game, which is slated to tip off tomorrow afternoon.
 

Men's - #1 Virginia Union8 75, #9 Elizabeth City State 64 (Quarterfinals)

Robert Osborne and Keleaf Tate each pumped in 26 points as top seed Virginia Union pulled away in the second half to beat No. 9 seed Elizabeth City State 75-64 in the Men's Basketball Quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament at CFG Bank Arena.

Tate shot 9-of-14 from the field with six boards, five assists, and four steals to earn Food Lion Game MVP honors. Raemaad Wright added 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Panthers. The trio of Osborne, Tate, and Wright combined to score 66 of the Panthers' 75 points.

Eric Butler scored 21 points and Jaquantae Harris added 19 points for the Vikings, who trailed 31-29 at the half. The Panthers, using a 15-3 run, ballooned their lead to 19 points in the second half and the margin stayed in double digits the rest of the way. The Vikings concluded their season at 13-16 overall.

UP NEXT: Virginia Union, the Northern Division champion and last season's CIAA runner-up will face either Winston-Salem State or Claflin in Friday's 12 p.m. semifinals matchup. Winston-Salem State and Claflin face off Thursday at 8 p.m. in the semifinals.


Men's - #2 Fayetteville State 58, #7 Shaw 53 (Quarterfinals)

Kaleb Coleman nailed a clutch three-pointer with 21 seconds left to give No. 2 seed Fayetteville State the breathing room it needed to hold off No. 7 seed Shaw 58-53 in a men's basketball quarterfinal matchup at CFG Bank Arena.

Coleman's shot from the right corner, with an assist from All-CIAA guard Cress Worthy, pushed the Broncos' lead to five and that margin would hold for the Broncos (17-12 overall). Coleman led the Broncos with 13 points and Worthy nearly posted a triple-double with 10 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, which earned him Food Lion Game MVP honors.

The score was tied 49-49 with under four minutes left, but the Broncos finished with a 9-4 run. Coleman made two three-pointers and Worthy produced two points and two assists during the game-clinching run.

Jason Robinson and Shayne Siago both scored 13 points for Shaw, whose season ended at 16-14 overall. They sparked a second-half rally that erased an eight-point deficit and gave the Bears a two-point lead on three different occasions.

UP NEXT: The Broncos will meet the winner of Thursday's 6 p.m. quarterfinal contest between Virginia State and Lincoln (Pa.) winner in Friday's semifinals, scheduled for 6 p.m.