Lady Rams Take Hard-Fought 88-59 Loss to Shaw in Second Round of CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – The Winston-Salem State Lady Rams (11-17) gave it all they had, but they just couldn't overcome some foul troubles and some tough defense in an 88-59 loss to the Shaw Lady Bears in the second round of the 2015 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament, Wednesday. The Lady Rams finished the game with 31 total team fouls and three key foul outs in the game while shooting just 33.3% from the floor in the hard-fought loss.

"In today's game, we got into foul trouble early and we had to go to some kids off the bench who weren't quite ready. I thought we could at least keep the game close until the second half and that didn't happen," WSSU head coach A.G. Hall said. "It was one of those things were where we got into too big of a hole and we spent our energy in the second half trying to battle back and it didn't go our way."

The Lady Rams' effort was on display for all 40 minutes of the game at both ends of the court. The Lady Rams forced 21 Shaw turnovers and shot a solid 33.3% (23-of-69) from the floor, but sent Shaw to the free throw line for 48 attempts in the game. WSSUS sophomore forward Jasmine Carter played another stellar game as she finished with a game-high 10 points, including hitting a pair of three-pointers. The senior duo of guard Taylar Wells and Briana Wilder both added nine points in the game while junior guard Kesheria McNeil finished with nine points as well.

The first half was a competitive affair for both teams, but a late slump by the Lady Rams put the team into a major deficit from which they would not recover. The Lady Rams looked good early with an 11-6 lead after Carter's first three-pointer of the game with 15:21 left in the half. However, Shaw answered the WSSU run with a six-point run of their own that left the Lady Rams trailing, 12-11, but Graham soon had an answer when a jumper from senior forward Jovanah Graham put the Lady Rams back on top, 13-12 with 13:24 left. From there, the troubles began for the Lady Rams as the team allowed six straight points by the Lady Bears and fell behind, 18-13 with 11:12 left in the half.

The Lady Rams had an answer with a five-point run to tie the game. The run was capped by a Wilder three-pointer at the 9:08 mark that tied the game, 18-18. From there, the Lady Rams continued to challenge the Lady Bears as a lay-up from junior guard Awa Kalmstrom kept the team within one point, 21-10 with 7:48 left, but a late slump by the Lady Rams proved costly.

Down the stretch of the game, the Lady Rams went through a five minute scoring drought with just one field goal made over a five minute span. The effort left the team trailing, 33-22 with 2:12 left in the half. Though a pair of WSSU jumpers softened the blows for the Lady Rams, the team was outscored 21-4 in the final seven minutes of the half and left the team trailing, 44-24 at halftime.

Unfortunately for the Lady Rams, the second half was far too similar to the first half. The Lady Rams started off strong in the first minutes of the half when they scored five straight points to cut their deficit down to just 15 points after a McNeil three-pointer. The effort proved to be all that the Lady Rams could muster, however, as Shaw continued their push. Carter's second three-pointer of the game came at the 15:18 mark, but was the only field goal by the Lady Rams over a five-minute span.

The drought left the Lady Rams trailing by 25 points, 57-34 before a jumper from senior forward Jovanah Graham broke the spell. From there, things gradually got worse for the Lady Rams as Shaw pushed its lead to as many as 31 points, 77-46 with 4:45 left to play. Late in the half, the Lady Rams made a valiant effort to cut down the deficit as they worked their deficit down to 26 points, 83-57 after a Wells free throw at the 1:34 mark. However, the effort was not enough as the Lady Rams finished the day with the 88-59 loss.

Unfortunately, the loss ended the careers for four Lady Rams seniors. Senior forward Dionna Scott ended her playing career with 896 total points and 443 total rebounds. "I've been here for all three years and these seniors have been with me for all three years so I'm extremely proud of the effort they've given and what they've given to the program," Hall added.

With the loss, the Lady Rams complete the 2014-15 season with an 11-17 record. For more information on Lady Rams basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to www.WSSURams.com.

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CIAA Tournament: Lady Trojans Survive Late Rally, Advance to Semifinals with Win over Elizabeth City State

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Virginia State University women's basketball team survived a late rally by Elizabeth City State University and secured a 58-53 victory over the Lady Vikings on Wednesday, February 25th in Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Lady Trojans advance to the semifinal round with the win. Virginia State will face the winner of Thursday's quarterfinal game between Shaw University and Winston-Salem State University. Tip-off for Friday's semifinal game is slated for 3:00pm.

The Lady Trojans advance with an 18-9 overall record while the Lady Vikings' season comes to an end with a 13-14 mark.

All-CIAA team member Tiffanie Adair led all players in the game with 21 points and 13 rebounds (five offensive, eight defensive). All-CIAA honoree Dashae Jones and Jessica Lyons added 13 points and 11 points, respectively in the victory.



Virginia State totaled 44 rebounds in the win while Elizabeth City State grabbed 27 rebounds in the loss. The Lady Vikings had six turnovers in the contest while forcing 17 Virginia State turnovers.

Virginia State head coach James Hill Jr. noted, "Our game plan was to come out hard and slow Breona Jones and Jada Jefferies down. We allowed them to take a lot of open shots against us earlier in the season so today we talked about slowing the game down and being disciplined."

All-CIAA performer Jadda Jefferies paced the Lady Vikings with 15 points in the setback. CIAA Rookie of the Year, Breona Jones chipped in 13 points.

Elizabeth City State interim head coach Ron Woodard stated, "Today's game was a tough loss. We had a tough start in the first half but we weathered the storm in the second half. I though overall we fought hard."

Adair opened the contest with a layup for Virginia State, ending a two-minute scoring drought for both teams. Jefferies answered with a bucket for Elizabeth City State on the Lady Vikings' next possession. Arrielle Harris used a rebound and putback to put the Lady Vikings ahead 4-2 at the 16:27 mark.

After Adair's made free throw put the Lady Trojans within one point, Jefferies' three-pointer pushed Elizabeth City State ahead 7-5. Deanna Water's layup for Virginia State knotted the score but two made free throws by Jones for the Lady Vikings tied the score 9-9 by the first media timeout of the game.

With 13:36 on the clock, a free throw by Jones along with Adair's layup and free throw for Virginia State pushed the Lady Trojans ahead 13-9. Jones responded with a three-pointer for Elizabeth City State but Adair answered with a bucket to make the score 15-12 with 10:42 remaining before halftime.

After Adair's made free throw at the 9:59 mark, both teams exchanged baskets until the 6:10 mark when Jones' three-pointer for Virginia State gave the Lady Trojans a 23-18 advantage. Lyons added a layup to extend the Lady Trojans' lead to seven points by the final media time out of the first half.

Cana Marriott's layup for Virginia State with 2:19 on the clock left the Lady Vikings trailing 31-21 and gave the Lady Trojans their largest advantage of the half. Jones made good on a free throw opportunity with 28 seconds on the clock but Elizabeth City State still trailed 32-23 heading into halftime.

Lyons' layup followed by Marriott's three-pointer solidified Virginia State's lead to 37-23 by the 18:19 mark in the second half. A layup by Lyons with 15:16 on the clock gave the Lady Trojans a 15 point lead (42-27).

Trailing 45-27 with 13:52 left in the game, the Lady Vikings orchestrated an 8-0 run capped by Jefferies' three-pointer to cut the deficit to ten points. Virginia State maintained a 47-37 lead with eight minutes left in the game when two made free throws by Jones for the Lady Vikings followed by an additional free throw by Ashley Hughes put Elizabeth City State back within striking distance with 5:25 left in the contest. Virginia State led by as many as nine points (49-40) with 4:53 on the clock when Chalise Greenwood's three-pointer sparked a 5-0 run and brought Elizabeth City State within four points.

With the Lady Trojans clinging to a 51-47 advantage with 3:12 left in the game, two made free throws by Lyons pushed Virginia State ahead 53-47. Elizabeth City State pulled within three points using Jones' free throw and Jasmine Nixon's layup. The late rally was not enough to overcome Virginia State's momentum as Adair netted two free throws with nine seconds on the clock to secure the 58-53 win for Virginia State.

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The Lincoln Lady Lions Advance To 2015 CIAA Tournament Semi's With 59-51 Win Over Virginia Union

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Lincoln University used a solid overall performance on both ends of the court, and converted 21 of 25 free throws, as the Lady Lions advanced in the 2015 CIAA Tournament Quarterfinals, with a 59-51 win over Virginia Union University.

With the win, The Lincoln improves to 20-7 overall, while Virginia Union ends their season with a 9-18 overall record.

Virginia Union was able to get out to the early 7-0 lead by the 17:10 mark, before a timeout by The Lincoln.

The timeout would settle the Lady Lions down and a Zephrah Pam layup would finally get The Lincoln on the board at 7-2.

By the first media timeout, The Lady Panthers of Virginia Union would hold a 9-4 lead. They would increase that lead to 11-4, before the Lady Lions would answer with a 12-4 run of their own to erase the Panther lead and surge ahead, 16-15.

By the 7:45 mark of the first half the Lady Lions had extended their lead to 18-15 on a pair of free throws Zephrah Pam.



The Lincoln Lady Lions were able to keep the Lady Panthers at bay, and would finish the half outscoring the Lady Panthers 11-10, to take a 29-25 lead into the locker room at the half.

Virginia Union would start the second half just like they began the game, with a quick 11-4 run to overtake the Lady Lions at 36-33 with 13:45 left to play.

With the game tied at 36-36 with 13:33 left to play, the Lady Lions of The Lincoln University would dig down deep on the defensive end of the court, and the results were a 13-3 run over the next five minutes, to give them some breathing room at 49-39.

Coming down the stretch The Lady Lions would rely on their free throw shooting to seal the game, as they would convert 8 of 10 free throws over the final six minutes to lock the game away for the 59-51 win.

The Lincoln University Lady Lions were led in scoring by Zephrah Pam, who scored a game high 17 points, while also pulling down 10 rebounds. Amani Clark finished with 12 points, four steals and three rebounds.

Virginia Union was led by Lady Walker, who scored 12 points and pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds and five blocked shots. Trylanda Jennings added 12 points four rebounds and three assists.

The Lincoln University will now advance to the CIAA Tournament Semi-Finals at 1:00pm on Friday.

QUOTES:

The Lincoln University Head Coach, Jessica Kern

"This is new territory for us. The game tonight was a game of jitters, I will say that. Once you have a bye, the kids come in on the highest of highs, and we needed some time to settle in."

"I remember my rookie season, and everyone saying that there is nothing like the CIAA. You got that right! Our freshmen have gone through the good, bad and the ugly, and have now grown into seniors. This is really emotional for my seniors because they were there from day one. They have been through the growth. And I believe our freshmen now have taken heed to that, and have a level of respect from 1 to 15. It's very encouraging as a coach to see that. "

"We have done this through a whole lot of motivation and inspiring and all of that fun stuff. We have to do it the traditional route at the Lincoln. We are not in the position where we can get a lot of division I transfers or junior college players. So when we take high school freshmen, it's really a lot of skill development, and turning them from girls to women, along with a real sense of family."

Virginia Union University Head Coach, Barvenia Wooten-Cherry

"I would first like to thank Coach Taylor for all that he's done for the athletic program at Virginia union and supporting our team."

"I thought we started well. We were aggressive and I thought we went at them well. Our team down the stretch got tight. We had a lot of missed shots. We only made 18 of 63 shots."

"And regardless of the defensive effort that we attempted to make tonight, we got beat inside the paint. We were able to contain their outside shooters, but inside the pain was the difference in the game."

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DSU Hornets Announce 2015 Football Schedule

DOVER, Delaware -- - Five home games at Alumni Stadium, a visit to FBS Kent State and contests against the five teams that shared last year’s MEAC championship highlight the 2015 Delaware State University football schedule released today.

The 2015 season will be the first for the Hornets under new head coach Kenny Carter, who was named to the post on Jan. 21.

The Hornets will play four of their first six 2015 contests on the road, beginning with the season opener on Sep. 5 at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. This will be the first meeting between the Hornets and Flames since 2001. The teams met 14 times between 1982 and ’01, with Liberty holding a 9-5 lead. The Flames are coached by former Nebraska star quarterback Turner Gill, who led the team to a 9-5 overall record and second round appearance in the FCS playoffs in 2014.

The following week (Sep. 12), Delaware State will visit Kent State (OH) of the FBS Mid-American Conference for the third time. The Golden Flashes handed Delaware State its lone regular season loss in the Hornets’ MEAC championship campaign the first time the teams met in 2007. Kent State, behind former quarterback and current New England Patriots receiver Julian Edelman, also defeated DSU in 2008. The Golden Flashes were 2-9 overall (1-6 MAC) in 2014.

The Hornets will play their 2015 home opener and annual Hall-of-Fame contest on Sep. 19 against Division II Chowan (N.C.) of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association in the first meeting between the teams. The Hawks were 2-9 overall and 1-6 in the CIAA last season.

After a week off, the Hornets will begin conference play at home on Oct. 3 against long-time rival Morgan State, which earned the MEAC’s automatic bid to the NCAA playoffs after sharing the league’s regular season title with four other teams last season. The Bears were 7-6 overall and 6-2 in the MEAC in 2014. Morgan State snapped a two-game losing streak to the Hornets with a victory in last year’s season finale to stretch its series lead to 34-24.

DSU will begin another two-game road swing with a visit to Hampton for a MEAC contest the following week (Oct. 10). The Pirates have won the last two meetings with the Hornets to open up a 26-14 lead in the series. Hampton was 3-9 overall and 2-6 in MEAC games last season.

The Hornets will visit Florida A&M in their next game on Oct. 17. DSU will seek to avenge a 41-7 home loss to the Rattlers last season. The Hornets were winners in their last visit to Florida A&M in 2013, but the Rattlers hold a commanding 23-9 lead in the series. FAMU hired Alex Wood as its new head coach after posting a 3-9 overall record and 3-5 MEAC mark in 2014.

Delaware State will be back at Alumni Stadium for the next two weeks, beginning with a visit by South Carolina State in the annual Homecoming contest on Oct. 24. It’ll be the first meeting between the teams since 2012 when the Hornets posted a 31-17 win over the Bulldogs at Alumni Stadium. South Carolina State was one of the teams sharing the 2014 MEAC title with a 6-2 league record. The Bulldogs were 8-4 overall last season. SC State leads the all-time series 26-16.

DSU’s homestand will continue the next Saturday (Oct. 31) against Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats have won or shared the MEAC title in four of the last five seasons, including 2014 with a 6-2 league record (9-3 overall). The 2015 season will also be the first for new BCU head coach Terry Sims. The Wildcats have won the last three meetings with the Hornets, including a 27-7 victory in Daytona Beach, Fla., last season. DSU, however, holds a 19-18 series lead.

Delaware State will be back on the road the following Saturday (Nov. 7) against North Carolina Central. The Eagles have won six of the last seven meetings with the Hornets to open up a 15-5 series lead. NCCU won the last contest.

between the teams 23-20 in overtime in Durham, N.C., during the 2012 season. The Eagles were 7-5 overall and one of five teams to share the MEAC title with a 6-2 league record in 2014.

The Hornets will return to the Tar Heel State for their final road game of the season against North Carolina A&T in Greensboro, N.C., on Nov. 14. The Aggies were MEAC co-champs with a 6-2 league record; and 9-3 overall mark in 2014. NCA&T spoiled the Hornets’ homecoming with a 33-20 win last season, although DSU leads the series 22-20-1.

Delaware State will close out the 2015 season at home against the Howard Bison in the Hornets’ oldest rivalry. Howard’s 5-7 overall record (3-5 MEAC) last season included a 17-10 victory over DSU in Washington, D.C. The Hornets and Bison have met 71 times, including each of the last 57 seasons. Delaware State holds a 36-34-1 lead in the rivalry.

Delaware State University football has also announced that its 2015 spring camp will begin on March 18. .The first practice is set for 6 p.m. at Alumni Stadium. The camp will include 15 practice sessions, highlighted by the Red/White scrimmage on Apr. 11.

DSU spring football practice dates: Mar. 18 (6 pm); Mar. 20 (4:30 pm); Mar. 21 (9:15 a.m.); Mar. 23 (6 am); Mar. 25 (6 pm); Mar. 27 (4:30 pm); Mar. 28 (8 am; scrimmage); Mar. 30 (6 pm); and Mar. 31 (6 am).

Apr. 1 (6 am); Apr. 8 (6 am); Apr. 10 (4:30 pm); Apr. 11 (1 pm: Red/White Scrimmage); Apr. 13 (6 am); Apr. 15 (6 am).

2015 DSU Football Schedule

Date Opponent Site Time Series record 
Sep. 5 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. TBA Liberty leads 9-5
Sep 12 Kent State Kent, OH TBA Kent State lead 2-0
Sep. 19 CHOWAN Home 2 p.m. First meeting (Hall-of-Fame Day)
Sep. 26 OPEN
Oct. 3 Morgan State* HOME 2 p.m. MSU leads 34-24
Oct. 10 Hampton* Hampton, Va. TBA Hampton leads 26-14
Oct. 17 Florida A&M* Tallahassee FL TBA Florida A&M leads 23-9
Oct. 24 So. Carolina State* HOME 2 p.m. SC State leads 26-16 (Homecoming) 
Oct. 31 Bethune Cookman* HOME 2 p.m. DSU leads 19-18
Nov. 7 No Carolina Central Durham, N.C, 2 p.m. NCCU leads 15-5
Nov. 14 No. Carolina A&T* Greensboro, N.C. 1 p.m DSU leads 22-20-1
Nov. 21 Howard* HOME 2 p.m. DSU leads 36-34-1

 *MEAC game
Dates/Times subject to change
Home games at Alumni Stadium on DSU campus in Dover, Del.
DSU Ticket Office: 302-857-7497/1-866-378-TixxO

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Nuggets, Rush win at home against Alcorn State

NEW ORLEANS -- Sophomores Sha'Nel Bruins and Adam Albrecht delivered clinching singles victories Tuesday to lead Xavier University of Louisiana to dual-match tennis decisions against Alcorn State.

The Gold Nuggets (5-5), ranked third in the NAIA, defeated Alcorn State 5-4. The Gold Rush (4-1), ranked eighth, won 5-3.

Bruins, playing on her birthday, rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the third-set super-tiebreaker to defeat Aakanksha Punj 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (14-12) at the sixth flight. Albrecht ended the men's dual when he beat Garry Amor 6-3, 6-0 at the fifth flight.

Bruins and Brandi Nelson won in doubles and singles for the Gold Nuggets, who defeated an NCAA Division I opponent for the first time in five attempts this season.

Also scoring for the Nuggets was sophomore Nour Abbes, who defeated Aida Kelic 6-3, 6-2. Abbes, ranked first in the NAIA, is 37-1 in her XU singles career, 20-1 this season and 7-0 this semester.

For the Gold Rush, Kyle Montrel and Tushar Mandlekar won in doubles and singles. Montrel, playing with his third partner in five duals, improved to 5-0 in doubles this semester when he and Vincenzo Ciccone beat Amor and Kilian Salgado 8-4.

The XU men have won three straight and are 4-0 at home this season.

Alcorn State's men are 2-7, and its women are 1-8.

"Birthday girl Sha'Nel pulled it out for us," XU coach Alan Green said. "This was a huge win for our women. We couldn't lose again like last night (5-4 to Brenau), and Sha'Nel didn't let it happen. This was a very nerve-racking match against one of the best teams in the SWAC.

"The guys played very well despite not having two starters in the lineup."

Xavier's men will visit the University of New Orleans at 3 p.m. Wednesday. Both XU teams will play a pair of home duals Saturday -- 10 a.m. against Rhodes and 2 p.m. against Tougaloo.

Results:  Men    Women


Ed Cassiere, Sports Information Director  
XULAATHLETICS
XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA 
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Track and Field to Head to EIU for OVC Championship

NASHVILLE, Tennessee  – This weekend, the Tennessee State track and field teams will wrap up their respective Indoor Seasons in the OVC Championship on the campus of Eastern Illinois.

The Tigerbelles are looking to win back-to-back titles after being crowned champs last season at home.

“There is definitely pressure to repeat [as champions],” head coach Chandra Cheeseborough said. “We have to realize that winning the second one is much harder than the first. I hope everyone will have their game-face on and ready to perform.”

Two big pieces to the women’s success in last year’s Championship were Clairwin Dameus and Amber Hughes. Damues got TSU off on the right foot by placing first in the Pentathlon with a total score of 3,625. Hughes then ran a scorching 7.68 seconds in the 55-meter hurdles to take top prize while Dameus placed second.

The dynamic duo later teamed to break the OVC record in the 4x400 meter relay with a winning time of 3:42.73. Both are back this season and are looking to do even better.

“In addition to her other events, Amber has been competing in the triple jump the last few weeks and the first time she competed, she jumped 40 feet. She is very confident she can get us at least 40 points,” Cheeseborough said. “Clairwin is the ultimate competitor. She is second in the pentathlon right now, but she came from behind last year, so we know she can win from that spot.”

The Flying Tigers will be trying to improve upon their third place finish a year ago and will welcome back Quamel Prince who came up big for TSU by winning the 800-meter dash by nearly two whole seconds after completing the event in 1:51.44.

“Quamel is an awesome athlete and very humble. He is the type of person who can do anything you ask, and do it well. I am looking for great things from him this weekend and moving forward,” Cheeseborough said.

One member who wasn’t there for last season, but who has had success this year, is freshman Jemarruse Amos. In TSU’s last event, he clocked the second fastest time in the OVC in the 60 meter hurdles, placing second with a time of 8.22 seconds.

The events will start Friday, Feb. 27 at 9 a.m. with the pentathlon and conclude on Saturday at 4 p.m. with the 4x400 meter relays.

Fans can follow the action, here: 2015 OVC Indoor Track & Field Championship

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Day 1 Of The CIAA Basketball Press Conference

Women's Bracket  |  Men's Bracket

LIVE STATS/TELEVISION SCHEDULE

CIAA Tournament: VUU Escapes With a Win over St. Aug

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Virginia Union survived the final minutes without leading scorer Ashle Freeman to pull out a CIAA Tournament victory.

Freeman scored a game-high 25 points before fouling out but her teammates held off Saint Augustine's 74-71 in a women's first-round basketball contest at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday, February 24. The Lady Panthers (9-17 overall), the No. 5 Northern Division seed, advanced to Wednesday's quarterfinals where they will face The Lincoln, the Northern Division co-champion, at 2:20 p.m.

Freeman played a tremendous game but picked up her fifth foul with the Lady Panthers ahead 65-59 with just under six minutes left. Her departure from the contest sparked the Lady Falcons, who rallied to take their first lead of the game at 71-70 on a Jeanne-Marie Wilson layup with 54 seconds remaining.

Several Lady Panthers stepped up at crunch time. ShaHadah Barrett hit a free throw to tie the score and Trylanda Jennings made one of two free throws after drawing a foul in the paint. She missed the second free throw but Taylor White grabbed a key rebound and was fouled. White hit two free throws for a 74-71 lead with eight seconds left.

But the contest was not over yet. Wilson picked up a loose ball and fired a potential game-tying three-pointer which appeared on target. The shot missed and time expired as the Lady Falcons got the rebound.



"This team has resolve," Lady Panthers' Head Coach Barvenia Wooten-Cherry said. "It helps that we are close as a unit. We depend on each other."

Lady Walker added 22 points, 15 rebounds and three blocks, and Sydney Howard scored 10 points for the Lady Panthers, who defeated the Lady Falcons in all three meetings this season. Regime McCombs pumped in 20 points, Wilson added 17 points and Terri Jacobs scored 12 points for the Lady Falcons, the No. 4 Southern Division seed who finished the season at 12-14 overall.

The Lady Falcons, who trailed 40-28 at halftime, rallied behind Jacobs, a forward who scored all her points in the second half after being held scoreless in the first half. They climbed back in the game and were in position to close out with a victory, but the Lady Panthers survived with a group effort.

The Lady Panthers, behind 16 points from Freeman and 14 from Walker, had their way with the Lady Falcons in the first half after bursting out to a 6-0 lead. The margin steadily grew to double digits, and it appeared the contest would be a rout.

"We didn't come out with the intensity that Virginia Union came out with," Lady Falcons' Head Coach Rachel Bullard said. "We couldn't get in sync. We played with heart in the second half but dug ourselves a hole in the first half."

The Lady Falcons, led by the trio of Jacobs, McCombs and Wilson, made a game of it before the Lady Panthers stayed strong down the stretch without Freeman, their career scoring leader.

"We had to relax and take our time [in the closing minutes] because we knew what was at stake," Howard said.

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CIAA Tournament: SAU Uses Balanced Scoring to Defeat ECSU

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- Saint Augustine's University men's basketball team had four players score in double figures and never trailed in the second half as they took a 61-54 win over Elizabeth City State in the first round of the CIAA Men's Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena on Tuesday evening.

Elizabeth City State jumped on Saint Augustine's early, bolting to a 7-0 lead but the Falcons battled back, taking the 14-13 lead. Keith Crawford (Richmond, Va.) would nail a three pointer to stake the Falcons to a 17-13 lead at the 7:07 mark in the first half.

ECSU would cut the lead to 27-25 following a three pointer from Glenn Patterson with 1:21 remaining in the opening stanza. The Falcons would get a jumper from Marquis Hines to make it 29-25 and would carry that lead into the halftime break.

In the second half, St. Augustine's jumped to a 36-26 lead, their largest of the game, when Marquis Hines boarded a missed free throw and got the put back with 16:30 remaining.

ECSU was able to cut the lead to 36-29 following a Brachon Griffin free throw with 15:51 remaining. The Vikings then cut it to 36-31 with two more free throws, this time from Darrell Ward.

After a Falcon turnover, ECSU trimmed the lead to 36-33 following a Darrell Ward layup with 14:24 remaining. DeCarlos Anderson would bring ECSU to within one at 36-35 after he got two free throws to fall with 13:47 remaining.

SAU would break the 12-0 ECSU run when Keith Crawford tipped in a miss, providing the 38-35 ECSU lead. After two technical free throws, SAU jumped ahead 40-35. Anthony Gaskins then got a three pointer to drop, giving SAU the 43-35 lead with 11:00 to play.

The St. Augustine's lead would shrink to 43-27 following a pair of John Tatum free throws with 10:42 left.

ECSU was able to score on two straight possessions, when Tatum nailed a three pointer then added two free throws on their next possession to narrow the Viking lead to 45-42 with 7:11 to go. Anthony Gaskins would answer for SAU, when he drilled a long three pointer with 6:38 left to make it 48-42. Gaskins would then hit another three pointer from the exact same spot a possession later to extend the Falcon lead to 51-42 at the 5:48 mark.

Up 54-47 at the 3:56 mark, St. Augustine's got a pair of free throws from freshman Quincy January to boost the lead to 56-47. Elizabeth City State would get a three pointer from James Theus to cut it to 56-50. The Vikings then forced a turnover, but would give the ball right back with 1:44 to play. St. Augustine's would give it right back, and ECSU's three point attempt was no good.

After a St. Augustine's timeout with 1:01 to play, SAU was able to burn 15 seconds off the clock before ECSU was able to foul. SAU's Raheem Jolliffe knocked down two free throws with 48 seconds left to make it 59-50 . ECSU then got a layup from John Tatum to trim the lead to 58-52 with 21.8 to play.

St. Augustine's then would go on to get a free throw from Anthony Gaskins to extend the lead 59-52. ECSU answered quickly with a basket from Brachon Griffin with 12.6 remaining. After the ECSU timeout, the Vikings were forced to foul, sending Jolliffe to the line for two shots. Jolliffe knocked down both shots to provide the 61-54 final.

Anthony Gaskins led four St. Augustine's players in double figures with 14 points. Teammates Raheem Jolliffe and Marquis Hines each finished with 11. Hines also finished with 10 rebounds. Keith Crawford added 10 points for the Falcons.

ECSU got 11 points each from John Tatum and Darrell Ward.

With the loss, Elizabeth City State finishes at 9-21 while St. Augustine's improves to 12-15.

St. Augustine's will advance to the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals and will battle Lincoln at 2:20 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25.

Quotes:

St. Augustine's Head Coach MarQus Johnson
"Tonight was a complete team effort. We defended and rebounded well and when we do both, we will be in a lot of ball games."

"We haven't played in this type of arena before, with the depth perception that goes with it. At the end, we hang our hat on defense and it is evident with the result tonight."

On Bench Play
"I've told every player that their chance could be on any given night. Right now everyone is playing their role, has high energy and it's been good for us."

"I'm not a huge stat guy, but we did defend very well. I think it was one of the best defending jobs we did all season."

"Anthony (Gaskins) can get hot very quick. He has the confidence to knock them down."

On Tourney Prep
"It's interesting. I've been in this league for 20 years as a player and coach. I told them it's a different experience. I also told the guys to relax, enjoy it, and have fun."

On Chowan
"Chowan is a great team. They did well in the Northern division this year and they beat us. Right now we are going to go look at some game film and get ready for them tomorrow."

SAU's Marquis Hines
"It was hard not playing in the tournament last year. It feels real good playing this year with the adversity that we had this season. It feels good and I want to go hard for my team, family as well as my coaches."

ECSU Head Coach Alico Dunk
"This evening's game was tough and a hard fought game by both teams. It was a tough loss. We had our chances to make some plays and change the momentum. You've got to give credit to St. Augustine's as they hit big shots at the right time."

BOX SCORE

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Gold Rush in top 25 for NAIA-leading 47th straight time

NEW ORLEANS — Xavier University of Louisiana made its 47th consecutive appearance Tuesday in the NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The Gold Rush (21-8, 10-3 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference) are 21st, one place lower than a week ago.

Xavier has the longest current streak of top-25 appearances among NAIA DI men.

The Gold Rush have clinched the No. 2 seed for next week's GCAC Tournament. The GCAC's No. 1 seed and regular-season champion is Talladega, which is No. 1 nationally for the second consecutive week.

A third GCAC team, Philander Smith, missed the top 25 by 15 points and is 26th overall.

All three rounds of the men's GCAC Tournament will be played March 6-8 at XU's Convocation Center. The women's tournament will begin March 6 at Dillard's Dent Hall, then move to Xavier for the final two days.

Xavier's men and women will conclude the regular season Saturday against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at the Convocation Center. The 7 p.m. men's game.

NAIA Division I Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll (first-place votes in parentheses — records through Feb. 22) Rank Team Record Points Last 1 Talladega (7) 24-3 248 1 2 Freed-Hardeman (2) 24-2 241 2 3 Pikeville (1) 25-2 236 3 4-tie Cal State San Marcos 25-3 222 tie-4 4-tie Hope International 24-2 222 tie-4 6 Dalton State 24-3 210 6 7 Georgetown (Ky.) 23-4 202 8 8 Concordia (Calif.) 23-6 184 7 9 Campbellsville 23-5 178 10 10 Martin Methodist 23-4 171 13 11 Montana Western 21-6 169 12 12 Mid-America Christian 20-8 164 14 13 Columbia (Mo.) 23-5 155 9 14 Wayland Baptist 23-4 152 15 15 LSU-Alexandria 19-3 150 16 16 Evangel 18-9 127 18 17 Our Lady of the Lake 21-4 115 19 18 Arizona Christian 22-7 112 11 19 Benedictine (Kan.) 21-7 101 17 20 Westmont 19-8 98 25 21 Xavier 20-8 97 20 22 Lewis-Clark State 21-7 87 21 23 Oklahoma City 15-7 64 24 24 Southwestern Assemblies of God 20-8 55 RV 25 Cumberlands 19-8 53 23 Others receiving votes: Philander Smith 38, Wiley 32, Faulkner 30, Rocky Mountain 25, Bethel (Tenn.) 21, LSU-Shreveport 20, Missouri Valley 9, Carroll (Mont.) 3

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ASU PG Waters makes SportsCenter Top 10 for game winner

MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Jamel Waters did more than just make a game-winning shot Monday night to beat Southern, 56-54, on ESPNU.

The Alabama State junior point guard also made ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10.

With the score tied, Waters ran the game clock down to the final seconds before hitting a basket over Christopher Hyder with 0.5 seconds left.

Waters' shot finished 10th on the ESPN countdown. The Birmingham native scored 14 points in the road win.

The win keeps Alabama State (16-7, 12-2) tied for first place in the SWAC with Texas Southern (15-12, 12-2) while Southern (14-15, 11-4) dropped to second in the conference.


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Southern will start home-opening series against Prairie View on Friday, as weather concerns resurface

HEAD COACH ROGER CADOR

BATON ROUGE, Louisiana -- The weather continues to force changes to Southern’s baseball schedule.

The Jaguars have had almost as many postponements (two) as games played (three) so far, and they announced Tuesday that the home- and Southwestern Athletic Conference schedule-opening weekend series against Prairie View has been modified.

The series will begin with a single game at 1 p.m. Friday at Lee-Hines Field, followed by a doubleheader starting at noon Saturday. The Saturday schedule is unchanged, but the Friday game replaces one originally scheduled for Sunday afternoon because of weather concerns.

Southern (0-3) had its season opener at Nicholls State postponed from Feb. 17 to May 5 because of cold and rainy weather in Thibodaux. Similar conditions in Baton Rouge led to the postponement of another game against the Colonels that was scheduled for Tuesday at Lee-Hines. The schools are still working on a makeup date for that one.

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Mobley's Career Day Not Enough in Loss to Winston-Salem State

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CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Winston-Salem State University Lady Rams defeated the Chowan University women's basketball team 73-58 on Tuesday afternoon in the opening round of the CIAA Tournament. The Lady Rams, the fifth seed out of the Southern Division advance with an 11-16 record while the Hawks' season comes to an end with a 13-14 mark.

All-CIAA performer Alisha Mobley netted a career-high 30 points in the setback while grabbing eight rebounds (two offensive, six defensive). Rachel Gostomski added 13 points for the Chowan Blue and White. The Hawks had 27 turnovers in the game while Winston-Salem State had 29 turnovers of their own.

Chowan University women's basketball head coach Patrick Mashuda noted, "We have to give credit to Winston-Salem State. They came out with great energy and we weren't able to match their energy until midway through the first half. We came back at certain points throughout the game but weren't able to match them for the full forty minutes of the game."

Kesheria McNeil scored 21 points for the Lady Rams while All-CIAA team member Dionna Scott chipped in 13 points and 10 rebounds (two offensive, eight defensive). Jasmine Carter added 10 points to aid Winston-Salem State's effort in the win.

Winston-Salem State University women's basketball coach A.G. Hall stated, "Hat's off to Chowan, I thought they were very competitive. One of the things we wanted to do today was wear them down. We wanted to use our numbers to our advantage and we were able to achieve that."

The Lady Rams started off the contest with two made free throws to grab an early lead. McNeil's jump shot pushed Winston-Salem ahead 4-0. Scott made good on two free throws for the Lady Rams to leave the Hawks trailing 6-0 by the 18:34 mark in the first half. Trailing 12-0 with 15:40 on the clock, back-to-back buckets by Mobley put Chowan on the board and ended the Lady Rams' 12-0 run by the first media time out of the game.

A made free throw and three-pointer by Mobley cut the deficit to four points (12-8) by the 13:24 mark. With 11:39 remaining before halftime, a three-pointer by Gostomski capped an 11-0 run by Chowan. Winston-Salem State responded with a bucket by Shaquira Palmer, ending a five minute scoring drought for the Lady Rams.



With Winston-Salem State leading 14-13, Courtni Williams' bucket for Chowan gave the Hawks their first lead of the game with 8:27 on the clock. The Lady Rams regained the advantage using a basket by McNeil. Mobley capitalized on two free throw to give Chowan a 17-16 lead.

The teams exchanged baskets over the next four minutes of play with neither team leading by more than two points.

Winston-Salem State held on to a 25-23 lead with 3:22 remaining before halftime. Two made free throws by Gostomski knotted the score 25-25. Scott's jumper for Winston-Salem State followed Naima Harrington's basket resulted in a tied score (27-27) as both teams headed into the locker room at halftime.

McNeil opened the second half with a jumper for the Lady Rams. Back-to-back buckets by Angel Porter pushed Winston-Salem State ahead 33-27 by the 18:18 mark. Trailing 35-32, Harrington's free throw narrowed the Hawks' deficit to two points. The Lady Rams responded with a 7-2 run to pull away 42-35 after Taylar Wells' three-pointer at the 14:33 mark.

Two made free throws by Mobley for Chowan followed by a three-pointer by Winston-Salem State's Jasmine Carter at the top of the key with 13:00 left in the game pushed the Lady Rams ahead 45-37. Chowan trailed by as many as 11 points (50-39) after Briana Wilder's three-pointer with 10:41 left in the game.

With 9:44 left in the game, Mobley's jumper and two made free throws made the score 50-43. Jasmine Carter's three-pointer at the 6:36 mark pushed Winston-Salem State ahead 56-45. Gostomski drained a three-pointer for the Hawks on Chowan's next possession but the Lady Rams built their lead back to 11 points (59-48) by the final media time out of the game.

Carter added a three-pointer for Winston-Salem State with 3:40 on the clock, resulting in a 62-48 advantage. Two made free throws for the Lady Rams left the Hawks trailing 64-48 and gave Winston-Salem State their largest lead of the contest at the 2:46 mark. Mobley drained a three-pointer for the Hawks on Chowan's next possession but Scott promptly answered with a bucket for the Lady Rams to extend Winston-Salem State's lead 66-51 with just under two minutes left in the game.

The Lady Rams controlled the momentum for the remainder of the contest before closing out the game with the 73-58 win. Winston-Salem State will take on Shaw University on Wednesday, February 25th. Tip-off is slated for 12:10pm in Time Warner Cable Arena.

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No. 7 Brenau edges No. 3 Nuggets on third-set tiebreaker

MOBILE, Alabama -- Patricia Recalde Pacua won a third-set tiebreaker Monday against Jana van der Walt to give Brenau a 5-4 victory against Xavier University of Louisiana in a matchup of top-10 NAIA women's tennis teams.

Pacua defeated van der Walt 6-1, 4-6, 7-6 (7-1) at the fourth singles flight. Van der Walt led 6-5 in the third set after trailing 5-4.

Brenau (5-2) is ranked seventh, and Xavier (4-5) is third. It was the Gold Nuggets' first dual-match loss this season to an NAIA opponent.

Xavier trailed 4-2 before tying the dual on Nour Abbes' 6-0, 4-6, 6-3 victory against Fatyha Berjane and Sha'Nel Bruins' 7-6 (7-4), 6-3 victory against Kelley Cohron. Brion Flowers earned the Gold Nuggets' other singles victory, 6-0, 6-3 against Nathalia Bolivar.

Abbes and Carmen Nelson beat Maria Perdomo-Medina and Pacua 8-4 at the top doubles flight. But Brenau won the other doubles matches and took a 2-1 lead into singles when Berjane and Paula Rives Palau beat Flowers and Caroline Vernet 9-7.

Abbes is 36-1 in singles in her XU career, 19-1 this season and 6-0 this semester.

A year ago, Xavier defeated Brenau 5-4 at XU in another top-10 matchup when Simone-Alyse Ewell won in three sets at No. 5 singles.

Xavier's women and men will play NCAA Division I's Alcorn State at 2 p.m. Tuesday at XU Tennis Center. Xavier's men are ranked eighth.

 Results

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SUNO beats Nuggets, wins GCAC regular-season title

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NEW ORLEANS -- Kishaun Williams scored 18 points Monday, and Brandy Broome had 14 points and 15 rebounds to lead SUNO to an 81-71 women's basketball victory against Xavier University at The Castle.

The Lady Knights (16-4, 11-1) clinched the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference regular-season championship -- the second in the program's history and the first since 1999-2000.

Marquetta Stokes scored 16 points and Rayvin Miller 12 for SUNO. Broome also had six assists, three blocked shots and three steals.

Donyeah Mayfield had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Gold Nuggets (15-14, 8-5), and Ireyon Keith scored 10. Vinnie Briggs grabbed 11 rebounds.

Former XU player Jessica Savannah put SUNO ahead to stay, 28-27, with a basket at 6:11 of the first half. The Lady Knights led 41-38 at halftime and pulled away in the final 10 1/2 minutes after Kelsey Joseph's 3-pointer cut SUNO's advantage to 54-53.

SUNO outshot Xavier 42.3 to 39.2 percent from the floor, 50 to 33.3 percent in the second half. Xavier had a 49-39 rebound advantage.

SUNO completed a two-game regular-season sweep of Xavier, last year's GCAC Tournament champion.

Xavier will conclude the regular season in a 5 p.m. Saturday game against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center. The GCAC Tournament will begin March 6 with women's quarterfinal games at Dillard and the men's quarterfinals at Xavier. All tournament games March 7-8 will be played at Xavier.

Box score

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Gold Rush complete sweep of SUNO, earn 21st victory



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NEW ORLEANS -- Junior guard Morris Wright scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half Monday to help NAIA No. 20 Xavier University of Louisiana earn a 71-61 men's basketball victory against SUNO at The Castle.

The Gold Rush (21-8, 10-3) completed a two-game regular-season sweep of the Knights (4-20, 1-11).

Wright led Xavier in scoring for the 12th time this season and reached double figures for the 23rd time.

Sydney Coleman scored 15 points, Anthony Goode 13 and Wesley Pluviose-Philip 10 for the Gold Rush. Pluviose-Philip was 5-of-5 from the floor. Jarvis Thibodeaux grabbed 10 rebounds and reached double figures for the sixth time this season.

Coleman had seven rebounds, and Gary Smith grabbed a career-high six.

Will Bailey and Thaddeus Showers scored 17 points apiece for SUNO, and Thaddeus Fortune scored 13. Bailey made four of the Knights' eight 3-pointers.

The Gold Rush led for the final 33 minutes. Xavier led 29-20 at halftime and twice by 15 points, the last time at 55-40 after two Thibodeaux free throws with 5:41 remaining.

Xavier outshot the Knights 53.1 to 41.3 percent from the floor and outrebounded them 33-24. It was the 13th time this season that Xavier reached 50 percent and the fifth time in the past seven games.

Xavier will conclude the regular season in a 7 p.m. Saturday game against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic at XU's Convocation Center. The GCAC Tournament will begin March 6 with men's quarterfinal games at Xavier and the women's quarterfinals at Dillard's Dent Hall. All tournament games March 7-8 will be played at Xavier.

 Box score


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Livingstone Lady Blue Bears Roll Past Bowie State in First Round of CIAA Tournament

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina -- The Livingstone College Lady Blue Bears advanced to the second round of the CIAA Tournament on Tuesday, February 24th with a 91-73 win over Bowie State University. The Lady Blue Bears, the third seed out of the CIAA Southern Division, advance to the next round with a 10-19 record while the Lady Bulldogs, the sixth seed out of the Northern Division, end their season with a 9-18 mark.

Each team had four players score double-digit points in the contest. Amber Curtis led the effort for Livingstone with 18 points while Precious Roberts added 16 points in the victory. Labrea Walker chipped in 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds (two offensive, seven defensive) while Cierra York followed with 11 points.

"I think we played a phenomenal first half but the challenge was to match that intensity in the second half. Now it's time to break down some film and get ready to face a tough Johnson C. Smith University," noted Livingstone head coach Anita Howard.

Ty-Nita Baker paced Bowie State with 18 points. Sheldeen Joseph added 14 points while Donia Naylor chipped in 12 points and 11 rebounds (four offensive, seven defensive). Keira Phipps rounded out the double-digit scoring effort with 11 points.

"I'm extremely proud of this team. We got off to a slow start today but our team never gave up and fought all the way until the end of the game. I honestly think the slow start is what hurt us the most today," stated Bowie State interim head coach Shadae Swan.

York started the contest with a jumper for the Livingstone. The bucket marked the start of a 13-0 run before Baker's jumper for Bowie State at the 14:57 mark brought an end to a five minute scoring drought for Bowie State. With 13:40 left in the first half, Jourdan Stanhope netted a layup for the Lady Bulldogs to cut the deficit to nine points (16-7). After a free throw by York for Livingstone, Joseph netted a layup for Bowie State allowing the Bulldogs to pull within eight points, 17-9, at the 12:43 mark.

A jumper by Alexis Hicks on the Lady Blue Bears' next possession contributed to a 16-2 run for Livingstone, leaving Bowie State trailing 33-11 with 8:23 on the clock in the first half. The Lady Bulldogs were unable to stop Livingstone's momentum and headed into halftime trailing 55-24.

Amber Curtis' three-pointer with 18:40 on the clock in the first half gave the Lady Blue Bears a 34 point lead (63-29) and their largest advantage of the contest. Trailing 69-37 with 14:21 on the clock, Naylor's made free throws led to a 9-0 run for Bowie State. The late run proved to be short lived as Livingstone regained a 30 point advantage (76-46) with 10:41 remaining in the contest.

Down but not out, Bowie State used a 9-2 run to make the score78-55 after Naylor's jumper.

Livingstone held onto the momentum for the remainder of the contest and closed out the game with the 91-73 victory.

The Lady Blue Bears take on Johnson C. Smith University on Wednesday, February 25th. Tip-off is slated for 4:30pm in Time Warner Cable Arena.

BOX SCORE

Written By: Alison Kolezynski (Chowan SID)
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ECSU Sails Past Fayetteville State in Tourney First Round

CHARLOTTE, North Carolina  -- Elizabeth City State jumped out to a 8-2 lead and never trailed, en route to a 61-52 win over Fayetteville State in the opening game of the CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Elizabeth City State started the game on a tear, sparked by a pair of Lady Viking three pointers, both from sophomore Chalise Greenwood (Oxon Hill, Md.) Arielle Harris also paced the way with a jumper of her own to provide the early 8-2 lead.

Fayetteville State got a basket from Bria Robinson (Belmont, N.C.) to cut the Viking lead to 8-4, but the Vikings went on a 7-2 run to extend the lead to 17-6 with 12:22 remaining after a pair of Jadda Jefferies (Burlongton, N.C.) free throws. Robinson would cut the lead to 17-8 after a jumper from the right side.

ECSU would then go ahead on a Breona Jones (Henderson, N.C.) basket. Jones was fouled on the play but could not get the free throw to go. Following another FSU miss, Alliyah Floyd drained a three pointer from the corner to extend the ECSU lead to 22-8 with 10:06 remaining, forcing an FSU timeout.

Following a Deja Middleton (Richmond, Va.) layup for FSU, ECSU responded immediately pushing the lead to 24-10 after a shot from Jones.

With ECSU up 26-15, both teams traded turnovers with Fayetteville State drawing a foul. Middleton was able to drain both ends of a one-and-one opportunity to close within 26-17 with 5:21 remaining in the first half.

FSU continued to chip away at the lead, this time bringing it to 26-19 following another basketball from Richardson with 4:28 remaining. After an ECSU miss, FSU had another opportunity to get closer, but the entry pass was too high, resulting in the turnover.

After trading baskets, FSU forced a turnover and Shamaiya Battle (Fayetteville, N.C.) got to the free throw line, cutting the lead to 30-22 with 2:06 before the half. The Broncos trimmed the lead to 30-24 after another Middleton basket and forced an ECSU turnover with 1:06 left.

On the ensuing possession, the ECSU defense forced a miss and gained the defensive rebound at the 42.7 mark. After an ECSU timeout, the Vikings missed a short jumper, but FSU turned it over on a long pass. That proved costly, as ECSU got a basket from Battle with 11 seconds left to take the 32-24 lead into halftime.

The Lady Vikings would start the second half with a three pointer from Jeffries that made it 35-24. Following an FSU layup from Middleton, ECSU jumped ahead 38-26 on layup from Jeffries. On her drive she was fouled and she knocked down the free throw attempt for the three point play.

FSU would close the gap to eight points at 40-32 after a shot from Powell at the 15:19 mark and again with 13:25 to play after she hit two free throws to make it 42-34.

Neither team could score over the next three minutes, but ECSU's Jones broke the scoreless drought with a free throw to make it 44-34 with 9:48 remaining. FSU's Robinson drew the Lady Broncos to within 44-36 with a layup, and following an ECSU miss, Shamaiya Battle was able to get to the line. After missing the first free throw, the Lady Broncos were whistled with a lane violation, turning the ball back over to the Lady Vikings.

Each team then traded misses on each of their next two possessions, but FSU's Middleton found her way to the line, hitting both shots to close the game to 44-38 with 7:19 to play.

After and ECSU turnover, Fayetteville State missed an opportunity to close to within four, but Middleton's shot rimmed out, and the Vikings scored after securing the rebound, this time on a basket from Greenwood, extending the lead to 46-38.

Fayetteville State's Middleton again found herself on the line, hitting both two shots to close to 46-40 at the 5:35 mark. After two free throws from Jeffries, ECSU regained the eight point advantage at 48-40 with 5:21 remaining. After missing two layups, ECSU gained possession and Jasmine Boyd (Flint, Mich.) hit a pair of free throws to make it 50-40.

FSU's Makayla Williams (Raleigh, N.C.) would hit her lone three pointer of the game, making it 50-43 at the 4:50 mark.

ECSU would extend the lead to 54-43, but FSU's Powell would keep the Bronco hopes alive by banking in a three pointer with 2:39 left trim the ECSU lead to 54-46. Following two missed ECSU free throws, the Lady Broncos drew closer after Powell hit a free throw with 2:02 remaining to make it 54-47.

The FSU pressure force d ECSU to scramble and eventually caused a turnover late in the possession. The Lady Broncos would return the favor, turning it over on the entry pass with 1:24 remaining.

After an ECSU turnover, FSU cut it to 54-48 after a Powell free throw with 1:05 left. The FSU defensive pressure again caused the Lady Vikings trouble, forcing a travelling call at midcourt. FSU would then make it a two-possession game, trimming it to 54-50 on a XXX layup with 52.0 seconds remaining. After a Fayetteville State timeout, the Broncos were forced to foul, sending ECSU's Jeffries to the line. Jeffries calmly hit two shots to make it 56-50 with XX.X remaining.

On the following FSU possession, Middleton boarded a miss and scored on a put back, making it 56-52. Again forced to foul, FSU sent Jefferies to the line. Jefferies hit two more, extended the lead to 58-52 with 26 seconds left.

FSU would miss a three pointer from the corner, and the ensuing foul sent ECSU's Chalise Greenwood (Oxon Hill, Md.) to the line. Greenwood would miss both shots, giving FSU another chance to cut into the lead, but the Broncos were unable to do so. ECSU hit one free throw and FSU was unable to get off another shot, turning the ball over with four seconds remaining. ECSU got a layup at the buzzer from Jasmine Boyd to provide the 61-52 final.

The Lady Broncos were led by Deja Robinson, as she had a double-double with 18 points and 15 rebounds. Teammate Bria Robinson also secured a double-double, pouring in 10 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Bri'neshia Powell also scored in double figures with 10 points.

With the loss, Fayetteville State concludes their season at 8-18.

The Lady Vikings were led by Jadda Jefferies' 20 points and seven rebounds. Jefferies went 13-14 from the free throw line in the win. Freshman Breona Jones scored 14 points for the Lady Vikings.

Elizabeth City State improves to 13-13 overall and advances to take on Virginia State on Wednesday, Feb. 25 at 10:00 a.m. in the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals.

Game Quotes:

ECSU Head Coach Ron Woodard:
"These two (Breona Jones, Jadda Jefferies) are the reason we are sitting here now. "

On Six Game Winning Streak:
"We've gotten over all the sickness and injuries that we've had. We were playing with eight, sometimes seven and six players in January. In February, we talked about turning the corner. (Having better) depth has really given us a lot of help here in the late stages of the season."

On FSU's Late Game Charge
"The game changes at the 5 minute mark, whether you're up 20 or down 20. Depth is an issue, b/c we've only got 10 players right now."

ECSU Jada Jefferies
"At the end of the game, our coaches stressed time management and the importance of getting to the free throw line at the end."

FSU Head Coach Eva Patterson-Heath
"I'd like to commend ECSU. They came out ready to play and every time that we starting cutting the lead they responded."

"We've played from behind a lot and forced us into a lot of unforced turnovers. They played man pretty much the entire game, we just made some bad decisions."

"It's been a very different season. We won four-straight after losing our first (game). We were never able to recover the pieces after we lost some players (early in the season). We are now going to be in the recruiting stage to replace those pieces that we lost."

FSU Senior Deja Middleton
Even though we struggled this year, and I enjoyed being with my teammates We believed in the program and I'm grateful for the opportunity.

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