CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Sophomore guard Porscha Walton (Chesterfield, VA) scored 13 points for Saint Augustine's University in an 85-60 women's basketball quarterfinal loss to nationally-ranked Virginia State University in the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Wednesday, February 26, 2014.Sophomore guard Regime McCombs (Greenville, SC) added nine points for the Lady Falcons (13-15 overall), the No. 4 seed in the Southern Division. The trio of sophomore guard Jeanne-Marie Wilson (Temple Hills, MD), senior guard Ebony Spencer (Chesapeake, VA) and sophomore forward Terri Jacobs (McDonough, GA) each had eight points. Jacobs added 11 rebounds.
Tiffanie Adair scored 18 points to lead five double-figure scorers for the Lady Trojans (25-1 overall), who will move on to the tourney semifinals against Shaw University at either 1 p.m. or 3 p.m. on Friday, February 28. The Lady Trojans, are ranked 13th nationally in the USA Today/Coaches poll.
The Lady Falcons barely lost to the Lady Trojans 69-68 in their only regular season meeting on February 5 after holding a late lead. On Wednesday, the Lady Falcons never led after tying the score 2-2 on two free throws by senior forward Victoria Davis (San Diego, CA). The Lady Trojans reeled off seven straight points for a 9-2 lead and never looked back.
The Lady Trojans opened a double-digit lead late in the half at 29-15. The Lady Falcons cut the deficit to 29-19 on a layup by Wilson but the Lady Trojans made a late run for a 44-25 halftime score.
McCombs of the Lady Falcons opened the second half with a three-pointer to cut the lead to 46-29. Spencer added a jumper to pull the Lady Falcons within 15, but that was as close as they would get.
"It was a tough game," St. Aug Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. "We didn't come ready to play. We got hit first and couldn't bounce back."
McCombs and Walton each recorded three steals for the Lady Falcons, who totaled 13 steals as a team. The Lady Falcons scored 24 points off 25 Lady Trojan turnovers, but the Lady Falcons committed 27 turnovers which led to 30 Lady Trojan points.
The Lady Trojans shot 46 percent for the game including 52 percent in the first half. The Lady Falcons shot 37 percent including 23 percent in the first half.
"You get knocked down, you have to figure out a way to pick yourself back up, and we didn't do that," Bullard said.
The Lady Falcons lose two key seniors in Davis and Spencer. However, they return 11 players including their sophomore nucleus of Walton, McCombs, Jacobs, Wilson and guard Lakiya Rouse (Greensboro, NC). Walton is an emerging playmaker in the league and McCombs is one of the CIAA's top three-point shooters. Jacobs is one of the best rebounders in the conference.
The Lady Falcons were extremely competitive on the court. Off the court, they hit the books hard which led to their fifth consecutive CIAA Team Highest Grade Point Avera
"We played hard and we played with class," Bullard said about her team. "They work hard on and off the court."
COURTESY SAINT AUGUSTINE'S UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
ge Award in women's basketball.
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