CIAA NORTHERN DIVISION CHAMPS: Lincoln Lions rally from 17-point deficit to beat Virginia State

LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, Pa. –  It was an epic comeback and one for the ages as the Lincoln University men's basketball team rallied from a 17-point deficit and stormed back with a furious second-half rally as the Lions captured the CIAA Northern Division championship with a thrilling, 61-54, victory over Virginia State on Saturday afternoon in a CIAA Northern Division game at Manuel Rivero Gymnasium.

Lincoln (17-9) won the CIAA Northern Division outright as Elizabeth City State was defeated at home against Bowie State, 87-77.

“It's phenominal for the program to win the CIAA Northern Division title,” Lincoln head coach John Hill said. It's history. This title gives us respect.”

Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS) came off the bench and scored all of his game-high 16 points in the second half to power the Lincoln offense. George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) finished with 15 points and four steals, while Will Cole (Newark, N.J./Cesar Chavez HS) provided a spark in the post with 10 points and four rebounds as the Lions shot 36 percent (21-of-58).

The Lions fell behind, 20-6, after a Kenny Mitchell bucket with 8:48 left in the opening half and the Trojans extended the advantage to 27-19 after an Allen Harris 3-pointer with 3:20 remaining.

Lincoln rallied and closed the deficit to 27-17 right before half with baskets down the stretch by Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy), Chris Kinney (Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt SHS) and Wayne Newsome (Piscataway, N.J./Piscataway HS).

Virginia State continued to lead by double digits early in the second half and extended the margin to 43-29 after a pair of free throws by Harris with 11:08 remaining. But Lincoln refused to quit and used a 19-5 run during the next seven minutes to tie the contest at 48 after a Washington 3-pointer with 4:25 left.

The Lions grabbed their first lead of the game, 51-48, on a George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) 3-pointer with 3:21 remaining and Lincoln never looked back during the final three minutes in rolling to its 17^th victory of the season.

“Virginia State let us hang around,” Hill said. “We got the momentum late in the second half and took it over.”

Harris went 7-for-7 from the free-throw line to lead the Trojans with 15 points and five boards. Christopher Grier had 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers as Virginia State was 17-of-45 from the floor for 38 percent.

Lincoln turns its attention to the CIAA Basketball Tournament Feb. 26-March 2. Pairings for the tournament will be released on Sunday. By winning the CIAA Northern Division, Lincoln receives an automatic bye and will open CIAA play in the quarterfinals on Thursday, Feb. 28. To follow live stats throughout the tournament, click here.

Lions Notebook: Prior to the game, Lincoln honored seniors – Richard Glover (Baltimore, Md./Havre De Grace HS), Rodney Goodson (Bronx, N.Y./John F. Kennedy HS), Quinton Hector (Schertz, Texas/Samuel Clemens HS), Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) and Kenny Sharpe (Chester, Pa./Elite Academy)…Chris Kinney (Washington, D.C./Theodore Roosevelt SHS) had seven points off the bench and grabbed four key rebounds in the win…Lincoln was 6-of-15 from behind the 3-point line (George Jackson (Baltimore, Md./Digital Harbor HS) (3), Derrick Washington (Washington, D.C./Coolidge SHS) (2) and Beloved Rogers (Baltimore, Md./Princeton Day Academy) (1))…The Lions finished with 31 rebounds, 10 steals, eight assists and one blocked shot…Lincoln held the advantage in points in the paint, 30-20l points off turnovers, 18-10; fastbreak points, 8-2, and bench points, 38-30…There was just one tie and one lead change.

Box Score

By Brian Howard, Sports Information and Media Specialist
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY --  PENNSYLVANIA