Sunday, February 16, 2014

No. 13 Virginia State Cruises Past Elizabeth City State

ELIZABETH CITY, North Carolina – The 13th-ranked Trojans defeated the Vikings of Elizabeth City State University for the series sweep, 71-59 at the RL Vaughan Center on Saturday. This was the 11th consecutive victory for the team, maintaining first place in the CIAA Northern Division standings.

The Trojans (21-1, 12-1 CIAA) received an offensive boost with three players scoring in double figures, including a season-best 14 points from Senior Shakirah Gray (Philadelphia, PA). Gray was a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. Lamesha Deal (Norfolk, VA) led the Trojans with 16 points and added five rebounds, while Alexandria Massado (Wilmington, DE) chipped in 14 points, collecting five rebounds.

VSU never trailed in this game, coming out with two free-throw shots from Gray after she collected a steal from a turnover of Elizabeth City. They built the lead to seven, making a 7-0 run before the Vikings finally got on the scoreboard with a jumper by Chelsey Davis.

ECSU trimmed the Trojans lead to 16-12, going on a 6-2 run, highlighted by three offensive rebounds from the Vikings.

However, VSU gained separation, ignited by a 10-0 spurt over the next 5:07 to take a 25-14 lead. Tiffanie Adair (Spartanburg, SC) collected 6 points during the run.
The Trojans were able to maintain a comfortable lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 37-23 lead into intermission. VSU scored ten points off of Elizabeth City's turnovers and got 9 points from its second unit in the opening half.

The second half mimicked the first half as the Trojans would open the frame with an early bucket by Deal, 39-23. The Vikings would cut the deficit to seven with 16:52 left in the game but VSU responded with another good jumper by Deal.

VSU would begin to dominate offensively as they gained a lead as large as 25 points with 9:41 left in the game. ECSU pulled within nine points, but the Trojans scored the game's last and final three points, with a final score of 71-59.

The Trojans will be on the road again on Monday, February 17th as they take on Chowan University at 5:30 p.m.
      
Final Stats

COURTESY VIRGINIA STATE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS

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