BALTIMORE, MD (February 23, 2023) - And then there were four! The
2023 CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinals is set as Elizabeth City State and Shaw each beat higher seeds on Thursday in the newly-renovated CFG Bank Arena to advance. On Wednesday, Johnson C. Smith and Lincoln (PA) punched their tickets to the semifinals.
Women's - #6 Shaw 54, #3 Winston-Salem State 48
Led by a game-high 24 points and 11 rebounds from All-CIAA performer Brittiney Seymour, Shaw was able to outlast Winston-Salem State 54-48 in the quarterfinals of the CIAA Women's Basketball tournament.
After the Rams' Kennedi Simmons tied the game at 47 with 2:21 remaining, Makenzie Pollard put the Bears up for go-ahead with a made layup on the offensive rebound off her own miss. From there, Shaw's defense clamped down, forcing three turnovers while steadily extending its lead. Initially, it was a back-and-forth start to the quarter, the Bears were holding a slim 44-43 lead with just 5:44 left after a Seymour basket.
The third quarter was really the difference in the game though as Shaw outscored the Rams, 16-4, in the period. Trailing 32-23 at halftime, Seymour kickstarted an early 7-2 Bears' run. Alondra Jordan was able to hit back-to-back three-pointers for Shaw to tie the ball game at 36 all with 2:44 left to go in the third quarter.
Winston-Salem State's largest lead was 12 points, which came right before halftime. Hadiya Balser was able to hit a mid-range jumper to give the Rams a 12-point lead before Shaw's Tanashia Hairston cut the deficit down to single digits after a three-pointer as time expired in the first half.
Seymour shot 10-of-13 from the field and added a block and a steal. She was the only source of offense in the game's first five minutes as she gave the Bears an early 8-0 advantage all by herself. However, the Rams woke up and was able to tie the game at 10-10 to start the second quarter.
Tanayja London ended with 13 points and six boards while Alondra Jordan scored six points and grabbed three rebounds off the bench. For Winston-Salem State, Valencia Carroll led with 16 points and 2023 CIAA Player of the Year Amaya Tucker had a statline of nine rebounds, seven points, four assists, and two steals.
UP NEXT: If the Bears want to clinch a spot in the CIAA title game, they will need to go through defending conference champion Lincoln (PA) Friday at 8 p.m.
Women's - #5 Elizabeth City State 76, #4 Bowie State 54
NyAsia Blango poured in 30 points as No. 5 seed Elizabeth City State trounced No. 4 seed Bowie State 76-54 in the CIAA Tournament Women's Quarterfinals at CFG Bank Arena.
Blango, the Food Lion Game MVP, was sizzling from the floor, making 9 of 13 shots including 4 of 6 from three-point range. The Vikings guard also knocked down 8 of 12 free throws as the Lady Bulldogs had no answer for her. During the regular season, Blango averaged just 10.5 points in two losses to the Bulldogs.
Led by Blango who scored eight of the Vikings' first 13 points, Elizabeth City State shot out to a 21-12 first period lead. The Bulldogs played the Vikings to a near draw in the second quarter but still trailed 38-27 at halftime.
The Vikings really took charge in the third period, holding the Bulldogs to seven points as they entered the fourth quarter ahead 58-34. Blango scored 11 points in the third stanza to spark the Vikings. ECSU (18-10 overall) coasted the rest of the contest.
Jada Nowlin added nine points and Akyia King corralled 10 rebounds for the Vikings, who shot 47.5 percent from the floor and outscored the Bulldogs 36-22 in the paint. The Vikings also won the rebounding battle 39-25.
Seanice Lyons scored 17 points and Anii Harris added 12 points for the Bulldogs, who committed 24 turnovers which the Vikings converted into 24 points. Bowie State's season ended at 14-12 overall.
UP NEXT: The Vikings reached Friday's semifinals with the easy win. Their opponent will be No. 8 seed Johnson C. Smith in a 12 p.m. matchup.