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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The Claflin University women's basketball team defeats Lane, 73-59, in the opening round of the 2015 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) tournament. The tournament, which is being played at the Bill Harris Arena in the Birmingham Crossplex in Birmingham, Ala., will run thru Saturday, March 7.
With the win, the Lady Panthers improves to 14-13 overall. Lane College closes out the 2014-15 season with a 5-20 overall record.
Junior Jaquanna Davis led the way for Claflin with a double-double, 17 points, 13 in the first half, and a game-high 19 rebounds. Davis also had two blocks in the game. Uniqua Mitchell also had a double-double for the Lady Panthers with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds. Claflin had three players to finish in double-figures as Shaniece Brown finished with 12 points including 6-of-6 from the charity stripe.
Claflin, who controlled the game from start to finish, scored the first eight-of-12 points of the of the second half en route to its biggest lead of the game, 16, 46-30, at the 13:33 mark. Lane managed to put together an 8-0 run of its own over the next four-plus minutes to cut the deficit to single digits for the first time in half, 49-41, with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Lady Panthers remained poised, using a 9-2 run to push its lead to 15, 58-43, with 7:02 remaining in the game. Lane pulled within 10 points on five occasions but could not get any closer falling by the 14 point margin.
"First I want to congratulate Lane and coach Buchannon on its season," head coach Deont'a McChester said. "We finally played the type of game I knew we were capable of playing especially Jaquanna who finished the game with a double-double."
The Lady Panthers opened the first half on a 10-2 run with Davis scoring eight during the run. Claflin pushed its lead to 15, 19-4, with 13:41 remaining in the half before Lane picked up its offensive intensity. Lane managed to cut the deficit to five, 25-20, with 7:55 remaining, but the Lady Panthers kept pressing pushing its lead back to 12 at intermission, 38-26.
Claflin will take on the number one seed in the East, the Lady Tigers Benedict at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4. This will be the third times the teams will meet the season. The Lady Tigers won both meetings this season.
BOX SCORE COURTESY CLAFLIN UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
AUGUSTA, Georgia -- The Paine men's basketball team begins SIAC conference tournament play on Wednesday. They may have to win that tourney to make the D2 NCAA Tournament.
Despite winning the regular season title and finishing the regular season with a 22-5 record, the Lions were not ranked in the last D2 Men's College Basketball Regional Rankings released on February 25th. They had been ranked 7th in the South region in the previous rankings but fell out despite not losing (they won their final 8 games to end the regular season). The rankings are used to determine at large bids to the D2 NCAA Tournament.
WJBF Sports inquired with the NCAA about Paine surprisingly falling out of the rankings. Here is a statement from Donnie Wagner, NCAA Associate Director of Championships and Alliances:
"There are many factors that go into a team's ranking other than just a team's winning percentage. The committee has a number of criteria that they evaluate on a week to week basis to formulate their rankings for each particular week. The committee will evaluate a team's strength of schedule in comparison to others teams under consideration as well as any head to head results, results vs. common opponents and how they have done vs. other ranked teams. The committee had considerable discussion in regards to Paine but in the end, the committee determined that Paine had not done enough to be ranked in the top ten in the region for this particular week. They will continue to be evaluated vs. other teams in the region as the committee completes their rankings again this week."
Augusta, Georgia -- Paine college is 22 and 5 and regular season champs in The SIAC. All things should indicate this team will be in the D2 NCAA tournament, and the record alone should be good enough. But it might not be and there's issues being raised on why.
You have to be in the top eight in your region, for Paine, that's the South Region, to make the tournament. Last Wednesday, they were ranked seventh in that poll. For some unexplained reason, they fell out of the top ten. A lot of people are wondering why.
"I mean it's ridiculous, I mean, you're voted seventh last Wednesday, this Wednesday, after winning two games in a row, one on the road and both teams are above .500, we dip below 10, and I don't know what the heck happened but they really dropped the ball on that one." said Jimmy Link.
XENIA, Ohio -- A report in the Dayton Business Journalearlier this month said that the "Show-Cause" visit from the Higher Learning Commission, which will determine the fate of Wilberforce University, has been delayed. Due to "inclement weather," the HLC folks won't be visiting the campus in Xenia, Ohio, until April.
Scene visited Wilberforce back in August to get a more intimate look at the problems facing the oldest private historically black college (HBCU) in the country. The university risked losing its accreditation due to serious financial and leadership issues, not to mention an extreme decline in enrollment.
Since that time, the school has appointed a new president, completely revamped its board, and is confident that they'll wow the accreditation team when they visit later this year.
SAVANNAH, Georgia -- The Savannah State women enter March with big goals in mind as well.
The Tigers are currently in second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, a game behind defending league champion Hampton.
But SSU (16-10) surprised the Pirates earlier in the season to hold the tiebreaker if the teams are deadlocked in the conference standings. Two games remain for both teams, but Hampton must play third-place Norfolk State — a school that handed the Pirates one of their two league losses this season.
Savannah State, a winner of six in a row, ends the regular season with games at home against North Carolina Central (7-19) and on the road against Florida A&M (8-18).
The Tigers would have to win just one of their last two games to earn a first-round bye in the upcoming conference tournament.
ATLANTA,Georgia -- Former All-American defensive back Donnie Shell was one of seven inducted into the Black College Football Hall of Fame Saturday during the BCF Hall of Fame and Sheridan Broadcasting Network College Football Awards Ceremony in Atlanta.
Shell is the fourth Bulldog to be inducted in the Black College Football Hall of Fame. He earned All-MEAC and All-America honors during his Bulldog career (1970-73) and went on to an outstanding NFL career as a safety with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The 2015 class also includes DT Roger Brown (Maryland Eastern Shore), DE Richard Dent (Tennessee State), DE L.C. Greenwood (Arkansas Pine Bluff), DT Ernie Ladd (Grambling State), DB Ken Riley (Florida A&M) and Coach W.C. Gorden (Jackson State).
Meanwhile, current S.C. State All-America junior defensive lineman Javon Hargrave was honored by Sheridan Broadcasting Network for being named the SBN Mel Blount Defensive Player of the Year.
ATLANTA, Georgia -- Ken Riley’s work on the football field speaks for itself.
He was a record-breaking quarterback at FAMU who won the Southern Intercollegiate Conference (SIAC) championship during each season on campus. He was a sixth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals. He made a smooth transition from quarterback to cornerback as a pro by collecting 65 career interceptions, which ranks fifth all time in NFL history.
He later returned to Tallahassee serving as head coach and later an athletics director for his alma mater.
Now, he can add another bullet point on his gridiron resume — Black College Football Hall of Famer.
Riley stood alongside six other football heavyweights for ...
CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – When Preston Holmes played at Forestview High, he helped the Jaguars to a pair of Big South Conference titles and a berth in the state championship game, even earning All-Gazette honors.
Some might think major college basketball or NBA was in their future after such success.
Instead, Holmes entered Fayetteville State University knowing he wanted to be a coach – and that dream will start being realized next season at his college alma mater.
A 2010 Forestview High graduate, Holmes’ college career ended with the Broncos’ loss to Winston-Salem State at Charlotte’s Time Warner Cable Arena in Friday’s CIAA tournament semifinals. (Livingstone won the championship on Saturday in a 106-91 victory over Winston-Salem State.)
But Holmes is set to graduate from Fayetteville State in May and will pursue a Master’s degree at the school while also serving as a Broncos assistant coach. CONTINUE READING
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas and freshman forward Kaylah Lupoe each had career performances on Saturday evening in Burr Gymnasium, leading the Hampton University women's basketball team to a 106-57 win over rival Howard. The Lady Pirates (16-11, 12-2 MEAC) won their sixth straight game overall and their 15th in a row over Howard. It also marked the first time since Feb. 12, 2001 (a 104-71 win over Coppin State) that the Lady Pirates scored 100 points in a game. Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) registered her third 30-point game of the season, dropping a career-high 39 points on 16-for-24 shooting. Lupoe (Phoenix, Ariz.) added a career-high 20 points while also grabbing a career-high 13 rebounds. Lupoe went 9-for-16 from the floor. Junior guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) added 16 points, while redshirt junior forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) grabbed 10 rebounds to go along with eight points. The Lady Pirates shot 51.9 percent (42-for-81) from the floor – including a 64.1 percent clip (25-for-39) in the second half – while hitting five of their 17 3-pointers and scoring 35 points off of 27 Howard turnovers. Hampton also out-scored Howard 64-22 in the paint. The Lady Pirates opened the game on an 11-4 run, taking that lead with 15:40 left in the first half following a pair of free throws from Ward. The Bison cut Hampton's lead to 16-13 with 11:53 left in the first half, but the Lady Pirates went on a 16-6 run, taking a 32-19 lead at the 6:01 mark after a jumper in the paint from Lupoe. In fact, Hampton out-scored Howard 29-12 to end the half after the Bison had cut the lead to three. In fact, the Lady Pirates led by 20 at the break, taking a 45-25 lead after senior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) hit a pair of free throws with 24 seconds left. Tate-DeFreitas had 12 points at the break. The Lady Pirates opened the second half on a 15-3 run, picking up right where they left off and taking a 60-28 lead after a fastbreak layup from Tate-DeFreitas with 16:37 left to play. Another layup from Tate-DeFreitas at the 13:58 mark put Hampton up 68-30. Jordan gave Hampton its first 50-point lead of the game with 9:17 remaining, hitting a trey to put the Lady Pirates up 85-35. The Lady Pirates led by as many as 56 on two occasions – going up 99-43 with 5:40 left to play following a layup from Ward, and taking a 101-45 lead with 4:25 remaining after a layup from Lupoe. Howard (3-25, 3-12 MEAC) shot 31.5 percent (23-for-73) from the floor, but hit just two of 21 3-pointers. The Bison shot just 28.6 percent (12-for-42) from the floor in the second half. Howard also struggled at the free throw line, going just 9-for-20 (45.0 percent). Gonzales led the Bison with 25 points and 15 rebounds. The Lady Pirates will be in Dover, Del. on Monday to take on Delaware State at 5:30 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.
NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana's tennis teams did not lose any sets Saturday in 9-0 dual-match victories against Rhodes and Tougaloo.
Sha'Nel Bruins, Brion Flowers, Brandi Nelson, Jana van der Walt and Caroline Vernet won three matches apiece for the Gold Nuggets (7-5), ranked third in the NAIA.
For the Gold Rush (6-1), ranked eighth, Kyle Montrel and Tushar Mandlekar won four matches apiece. Adam Albrecht, Manav Chakma and Vincenzo Ciccone won three matches apiece.
Xavier's women have won six straight at home and three in a row overall. The XU men have won five in a row and are 6-0 this season at home.
By defeating Tougaloo, the Gold Rush won for the 48th consecutive time in the regular season against a Gulf Coast Athletic Conference opponent. That streak began in 2004. The Gold Nuggets have won 13 straight GCAC regular-season duals and 67 of their last 68.
Both XU teams will play Martin Methodist at noon Friday in the AUM Invitational, a three-day event at Montgomery, Ala. The next home duals for the Nuggets and Rush will start at 2:30 p.m. April 10 against perennial NAIA power Auburn Montgomery. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/
CHARLESTON, Illinois – The Tennessee State track and field teams closed out the Indoor Season on Saturday at the OVC Championship. The Tigerbelles came in second place with 101 points while the Flying Tigers finished in fifth by tallying 59.5.
Sophomore Amber Hughes dominated the second day of the event with five top-four finishes. Hughes started by coming in fourth in the 60 meter dash (7.62 seconds) and continued with a second-place showing in the 60 meter hurdles (8.44). She later placed third in the 200 with a final time of 24.96 seconds.
The Atlanta, Ga. native found more success in her newest event, the triple jump. She bested the rest of the competition and earned 10 points with a leap of 12.41 meters.
Hughes later teamed with Clairwin Dameus andChristian Pryor and Kayla Pryor to repeat as champions in the 4x400 meter relay. The squad clocked a time of 3:48.88 and had to fight off a charge from rival Austin Peay.
For the Flying Tigers, defending OVC Male Athlete of the Year Quamel Prince came in second in the 800 meter dash with a finals time of 1:52.06.
Freshman Jemarruse Amos continued his solid second-half of the season with a fourth place showing in the 60 meter hurdles (8.26 seconds) and Ronnie Scott also finished just outside the top-three with a 14.78 meter hop in the triple jump.
TROY SALVANT 6'-1"/180 GUARD, FRESHMAN HOMETOWN: MARRERO, LOUISIANA HIGGINS HIGH SCHOOL
NEW ORLEANS -- Xavier University of Louisiana used a second-half surge Saturday to earn a 67-41 men's basketball victory against Dillard at the Convocation Center in the Crosstown Classic presented by Hotard Coaches. Sydney Coleman scored 14 points to lead the Gold Rush (22-8, 11-3 Gulf Coast Athletic Conference), ranked 21st in NAIA Division I. Morris Wright scored 13 points and Wesley Pluviose-Philip 11, and Anthony Goode and RJ Daniels had 10 points apiece. Coleman and Goode were honored in a pregame Senior Day ceremony. Xavier led 26-17 at halftime and 34-31 with 13 1/2 minutes remaining, then closed the game with a 33-10 run. Jarrain Jenkins had 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Bleu Devils (5-24, 3-11). Kristopher Allmon scored 11 points, and Houston Chatman scored 10. The Gold Rush shot 70.8 percent from the floor in the second half and 53.7 percent overall. Dillard shot 41.5 percent, and Xavier outrebounded the Bleu Devils 32-22. Xavier committed seven turnovers to match a season low. Xavier is 82-48 all-time against Dillard and has won four straight and 19 of the last 21 meetings. The Gold Rush won 54-49 Jan. 31 at Dillard. It was the sixth consecutive year that Xavier won both regular-season games against Dillard. Xavier will be the No. 2 seed in the GCAC Tournament and will play Friday at home in the quarterfinals. Time and opponent have not been announced. All three men's rounds will be played at the Convocation Center. The tournament winner will earn an automatic bid to the Buffalo Funds-NAIA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Kansas City, Missouri. Ed Cassiere, Sports Information DirectorXULAATHLETICS XAVIER UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA https://twitter.com/xulagold https://www.facebook.com/
WHITNEY GATHRIGHT 5'-4" Guard, Junior Hometown: NEW ORLEANS, LA HIGH SCHOOL: John Curtis Christian
NEW ORLEANS -- Whitney Gathright and Vinnie Briggs combined for 22 second-half points Saturday to help Xavier University of Louisiana rally for a 60-57 women's basketball victory against Dillard in the Crosstown Classic presented by Hotard Coaches at the Convocation Center.
The Gold Nuggets (16-14, 9-5) rallied from a 29-25 halftime deficit to clinch second place in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference.
The teams were tied at 52 before Gathright made baskets with 2:03 and 1:23 remaining to put Xavier ahead to stay. Briggs made four straight free throws in the final 39 seconds, then missed the front end of a 1-and-1 with seven seconds remaining. Dillard rebounded, and the Lady Bleu Devils' Shantrell Lumar rimmed out from 20 feet at the buzzer on a shot which would have sent the game to overtime.
Briggs, honored in a pregame Senior Day ceremony, finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in her fourth double-double of the season. Gathright had 15 points and a season-high eight assists, and Trana Hopkins scored 13 points, 10 in the first half.
Donyeah Mayfield had eight points and 10 rebounds for Xavier. She reached double-figure rebounds for the sixth time in seven games and the ninth time this season.
Ciara Morgan scored 11 points for Dillard (16-12, 8-6), and Lumar and Alena Evans scored 10 points apiece.
Xavier scored the first nine points of the second half. Dillard's last lead was 42-41 on Morgan's 3-pointer with 11:32 remaining.
Dillard shot 37.5 percent from the floor, and Xavier shot 37 percent. The Gold Nuggets outrebounded the Lady Bleu Devils 41-29. Dillard missed 11 free throws, four in the final 3 1/2 minutes.
Xavier will be the No. 2 seed in the GCAC Tournament and will play Friday at Dillard's Dent Hall in the quarterfinals. Time and opponent have not been announced. The final two women's rounds and all three men's rounds will be played at the Convocation Center. The women's tournament winner will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Division I National Championship, which will begin March 18 at Independence, Mo.
Nashville, Tennessee --- The Tennessee State women’s basketball team closed out the regular season with an impressive, 70-53, win over Belmont Saturday afternoon in the Curb Event Center.
With the victory, TSU improved to 15-12 (12-4 OVC) and earned the third seed in the 2015 OVC Basketball Tournament. The win extended TSU’s win streak to seven games.
Briana Morrow led TSU with 19 points while Chelsea Hudson added 17. I’mani Davis chipped in 14 for the Lady Tigers.
Belmont was led by Katie Carroll’s 13 points while Frankie Joubran scored 10.
The Tennessee State defense was stifling to start the game as Belmont was held without a field goal during the opening five minutes. TSU jumped out to an 8-1 lead but the three-point shooting of BU’s Katie Carroll got the opponents back into the contest.
The Bruins cut the deficit down to just one, 20-19, with 6:25 remaining in the half. Over the next several possessions, although the teams traded buckets, the Lady Tigers maintained at least a two-point lead.
The score was, 28-25, in favor of TSU when a 13-3 rally fueled by three-pointers from Brianna Lawrence, Rachel Allen and Chelsea Hudson gave the Lady Tigers a 41-28 advantage at the half.
TSU shot 51.7 percent (15-of-29) from the field and buried seven triples in the opening stanza.
A three-point play by Briana Morrow got TSU on the board in the second frame and sparked a 9-4 run that increased the lead to 50-32 before the media timeout.
Another old fashioned three-point play by Jayda Johnson swelled the TSU lead to 21 points before a Johnson steal led to TSU going up, 61-36, with a little over 10-minutes left to play.
Over the next five minutes, TSU went without a score and BU took advantage of the drought with a 9-0 run.
The Lady Tigers weathered the storm as I’mani Davis scored four straight points to shift the momentum back to TSU.
TSU will play #6 seed Morehead State in the first round of tournament on Thursday, March 5 at 2 p.m. in the Municipal Auditorium.
The 2015 Ohio Valley Conference Championship field is set. The four-day event will take place at the Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, Tenn., on March 4-7.
The Tennessee State women’s basketball team finished the regular season on a seven-game winning streak and earned the No. 3 seed. The Lady Tigers will face the Eagles of Morehead State in the first round on Thursday, March 5 at 2 p.m.
UT Martin captured its second straight regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the tournament while SIUE took the No. 2 seed. Belmont earned the fourth seed followed by Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Austin Peay and Eastern Illinois.
The entire tournament can be seen on the OVC Digital Network as well as ESPN3.
MONTGOMERY, Alabama -- Texas Southern moved into sole possession of first place after a big 58-49 win over Alabama State on Saturday.
Defense was a key part in TSU's victory as ASU only shot 21 percent in the second half compared to 43 for TSU, but a big difference in the game was in three-point field goal efficiency.
The Hornets entered the game as the top three-point shooting team in the conference, averaging over six per game and shooting a league-leading 38 percent.
In tonight's action, ASU only made one of their 14 attempts, while the Tigers connected on six of their 19 attempts, outscoring ASU 18-3 in three point baskets.
TSU had three players reach double-digits led by Gibbs 16 points. Riley added 14 and Deverell Biggs added 10. TSU out rebounded the Hornets 37-30 during the contest.
With the loss, the Hornets fall one game behind the Tigers with three games left to play.
"I thought we had a good game plan," Head Coach Lewis Jackson said. "We wanted to attack them from the inside out and we were getting some really, really good play from Lewis around the basket. He was kind of having his way early in the first half and those things were working for us."
"We allowed those guys to penetrate too much and we gave up open shots. Those are the things that hurt us. I thought in the second half we rushed some shots early in our offense instead of doing what we were doing, playing inside out and keeping pressure on them. Overall I thought it was a good competitive game."
ASU forced the Tigers into 17 turnovers, which led to 19 points, but was out rebounded 37-30 by the Tigers.
"Defensively we held them to 50-something points we just could not make shots there in the second half," Jackson said. "We had a lot of open looks and could not get any of them to fall and it was a tough loss."
ASU was able to sneak into the locker room at halftime with a 33-31 lead. The difference in the first half was TSU's ability to knock down three of their 10 three point field goals while the Hornets missed all four of their attempts.
Lewis did have a big first half setting his career-high in the game's opening 20 minutes of action with 17 points on seven of nine field goals. He also hit three of his four free throw attempts. Waters had six points, but only played 13 minutes as he picked up two first-half fouls.
The Hornets will have a quick turnaround as they will host Prairie View A&M in their final home game of the season Monday at 7:30 p.m. The game can be heard and watched live on HornetVision at bamastatesports.com.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Livingstone displayed its balance in winning a second consecutive CIAA Men's Basketball Title on Saturday, February 28, 2015.
Guard Daryl Traynham scored 23 points and forward Eric Mayo added 22 points, respectively, for the Blue Bears, who upended Winston-Salem State 106-91 in the CIAA Tournament finals at Time Warner Cable Arena. The Blue Bears are the first team since Johnson C. Smith in the 2008 and 2009 seasons to repeat as CIAA champions.
"This is probably the best feeling I've ever had," said Mayo, an All-CIAA player who was on both Livingstone championship teams. "We did it. It means the world right now."
Traynham and Mayo paced five double-figure scorers for the Blue Bears. All-CIAA Guard Eric Dubose scored 18 points and guard Ty Newman, the tournament MVP, scored 13 points. All-CIAA Center Hakeem Jackson chipped in 10 points for the CIAA champions, who shot 57.9 percent from the floor.
Four-time All-CIAA forward WyKevin Bazemore led the Rams (18-10 overall) with 24 points and All-CIAA Rookie Team guard Terrell Leach pumped in 23 points. All-CIAA Forward Donta Harper scored 20 points for the Rams, who shot 51.7 percent.
Both teams split the regular-season series and shared the Southern Division title, but there was no doubt who was the better team Saturday. The Blue Bears (19-9 overall) hurt the Rams inside in the first half of the high-scoring affair. In the second half, the Blue Bears buried the Rams with their three-point shooting.
Bazemore try his best to keep the Rams in the game. He attacked the basket with abandon in the second half, which led to him making 16 of 20 free throw attempts overall. However, the Blue Bears had too much firepower in the end.
The Blue Bears flexed their muscle in the paint as they outrebounded the Rams 37-24. They also canned 6 of 12 three-point attempts for 50 percent and hit 34 of 42 free throw attempts for 81 percent.
The Blue Bears outscored the Rams in the paint (44-34), in bench points (44-27) and off turnovers (30-16) which led to a decisive win.
"This is a great day for Livingstone basketball," Blue Bears' Head Coach James Stinson said. "The guys came out with a purpose. I loved their focus throughout the game. Overall, they persevered and did the job at hand. When I walked into the locker room, they were fully tuned in to what the goals were."
The Rams put a brief scare into the Blue Bears after Leach's three-pointer cut their deficit to 96-88 with 1:14 left. But the Blue Bears finished with a 10-3 run to claim their second straight crown.
Guard Dwight Williams of the Blue Bears got the championship game off to a rousing start. He blocked a shot in transition, then dribbled coast-to-coast for an emphatic one-handed dunk over a Rams' player which left the Time Warner Cable Arena crowd, especially the Livingstone fans, buzzing.
"I feel I am pretty athletic and I was able to take advantage of it [on the play]," said Williams, who scored eight points. "[My teammates] fed off of it and we won the game."
His dunk jumpstarted the Blue Bears, who went on a 20-9 run for a 24-13 lead on Mayo's jumper. The Rams sliced their deficit to single digits, but the Blue Bears stretched the margin to double digits for the rest of the half.
The Blue Bears established their lead with 58.1 percent shooting and strong play in the paint in the first half. They outscored the Rams in the paint 28-8 and won the rebounding battle 24-11.
The Rams didn't find much success inside, but they stayed within striking distance with their perimeter shooting. They connected on 5 of 11 three-point attempts for 45.5 percent including 3 of 3 shooting behind the arc from Leach.
It was Leach who gave the Rams a spark right before halftime. He launched a three-pointer behind the midcourt line which swished through the nets before the horn sounded. The three-pointer trimmed the Blue Bears' lead to 46-36 heading into the break.
Leach led all scorers with 14 points in the first half for the Rams. Dubose and Williams both scored eight points for the Blue Bears.
Despite the long-range three from Leach, the Rams could not carry the momentum into second half against a Blue Bears' squad which had plenty of depth.
We can go deep into our bench, and it has helped us get over the hump by systematically wearing teams down," Stinson said.
Despite the Rams' hot shooting, Head Coach James Wilhelmi says the Livingstone defense gave his team fits early on.
"It was a 2-3 zone and it did disrupt our flow early," Wilhelmi said. "We had a couple of quick turnovers and we were down eight. From there, it was tough to battle back. We never got into a true flow."
Though winning back-to-back titles is a great feat, the Blue Bears have more goals in sight.
"We can celebrate tonight but tomorrow, we have to get prepared to play in the national tournament," Stinson said. "Our ultimate goal is to get to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. We want to continue playing the way we have been playing of late. We have to do the CIAA some justice in getting the job done. The team is starting to see what they can achieve if they play together."
The All-CIAA Tournament team consists of Newman, Dubose and Mayo of Livingstone; Harper and Bazemore of Winston-Salem State; Joe Reid of Shaw, Anthony Gaskins of Saint Augustine's, Joshua Dawson and Anthony Beck of Fayetteville State and Justin Beck of Bowie State.
Livingstone Head Coach James Stinson
This is a great day for Livingstone basketball. The guys came out with a purpose. I loved their focus throughout the game. Overall, they persevered and did the job at hand. When I walked into the locker room, they were fully tuned in to what the goals were.
They know to be able to attain their goal of reaching the national playoffs, they had to win the CIAA.
We wanted to control the paint, and the goal is to outrebound the opponent, to try to be plus 10. We kind of had to slow it down and try to pound it inside.
They hear me talk about the Thomas's, Hill's and Welch's. They get tired of me talking about it. They wanted to etch their own history.
We can go deep into our bench, and it has helped us get over the hump by systematically wearing teams down.
We can celebrate tonight but tomorrow, we have to get prepared to play in the national tournament. Our ultimate goal is to get to the Sweet 16 or Elite Eight. We want to continue playing the way we have been playing of late. We have to do the CIAA some justice in getting the job done. The team is starting to see what they can achieve if they play together.
From beginning to end, it is one of the better performances we've had this season.
QUOTES
LC Player Dwight Williams (about his dunk early in the first half)
I feel I am pretty athletic and I was able to take advantage of it [on the play]. [My teammates] fed off of it and we won the game.
LC Player Cristian Henry
There was never a time I thought we would ever lose this tournament.
LC Player Eric Mayo
This is probably the best feeling I've ever had. We did it. It means the world right now.
I knew [WyKevin Bazemore] was a great rebounder. I was able to keep him off the boards.
Rams' Head Coach James Wilhelmi (about the team's slow start)
"It was a 2-3 zone and it did disrupt our flow early. We had a couple of quick turnovers and we were down eight. From there, it was tough to battle back. We never got into a true flow. 2015 CIAA Men’s All-Tournament Team Name Pos. Class School
Joe Reid Forward Senior Shaw
Anthony Gaskins Guard Sophomore St. Augustine’s
Joshua Dawson Guard Sophomore Fayetteville St.
Ty Newman Guard Junior Livingstone
Justin Beck Guard Junior Bowie St.
Anthony Shelton Forward Senior Fayetteville St.
Eric Dubose Guard Junior Livingstone
Donta Harper Forward Senior Winston-Salem St.
Eric Mayo Forward Senior Livingstone
WyKevin Bazemore Forward Senior Winston-Salem St.
2015 Men’s Most Valuable Player
Ty Newman Guard Junior Livingstone
2015 CIAA Men’s Team Sportsmanship Award
Johnson C. Smith University
With a 73-49 victory over The Lincoln University, the Virginia State University Trojans clinched the 2015 CIAA Women's Basketball Championship. The title win was the first for Virginia State since 2002. The Trojans earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Atlantic Region Tournament with the victory and advance with a 20-9 overall record. The Lady Lions end their season with a 21-8 record.
Jessica Lyons led all players in the game with 16 points while DeAnna Waters chipped in 15 points. Cana Marriott totaled 14 points including four three-pointers while Dashae Jones added 11 points in the victory for the Trojans. The CIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, Tiffanie Adair grabbed eight rebounds in the win while Lyons added seven rebounds. Virginia State shot 45.8% from the floor in the win.
Virginia State University head coach James Hill Jr. commented, "Our main focused was to continue to do what we do. If we could continue to play defense and box out, we knew we'd be successful...This year our team is more balanced, anyone can score on any night…as long as we get the win that's what matters."
Amani Clark paced the Lady Lions with 11 points in the setback. Lennee Kimbell and Teira Pendleton chipped in six points in the loss while Lisa Saunders, Courtney Smith and Dejah Taylor notched five points each. Courtney Lucas led all players in the game with 10 rebounds. Lincoln shot 27% from the floor over the course of the competition.
The Lincoln University head coach Jessica Kern stated, "…Well, honestly, whatever could have went wrong tonight did…I did enjoy seeing that the fight never stopped from these ladies. I'm proud of them and I know we wanted it to end differently but they never gave up."
Adair opened the contest with a layup on the Trojans' first possession of the contest. Taylor's free throw put Lincoln on the board but jumpers by Waters and Adair gave Virginia State a 6-1 advantage two minutes into the game. Taylor's jumper on the Lady Lions' next possession put Lincoln back within striking distance.
Virginia State used a 9-2 run to pull away 13-5 by the 13:45 mark in the first half. The Lady Lions pulled within four points (15-11) with 10:29 on the clock after Courtney Lucas' bucket. Marriott connected on back-to-back three pointers for Virginia State to give the Trojans a 21-11 lead with 9:29 remaining in the first half.
Wynterra Pittman's tip-in with 8:10 on the clock handed the Trojans a 23-11 lead. Courtney Smith answered with a three-pointer for Lincoln on the Lady Lions' next possession but Virginia State used an11-0 run highlighted by back-to-back three pointers by Jessica Lyons to leave the Lady Lions trailing 34-14.
Pittman's layup for Virginia State gave the Trojans a 37-16 lead with 4:05 on the clock. The 21 point advantage was the largest of the half for the Trojans. The Lady Lions were unable to make a run in the remaining time in the first half and headed into the locker room trailing 39-21.
The Lady Lions shot 27.3% from the floor while the Trojans shot 54.2% in the first half.
Virginia State opened the second half with a jumper by Waters and three-pointer by Dashae Jones to take a commanding 44-21 lead. Two jumpers by Waters and a three-pointer by Jones left Lady Lions trailing 51-21 with 16:04 on the clock.
Back-to-back baskets by Kimbell for Lincoln made the score 51-25 and ended a six minute scoring drought for the Lions. Amani Clark's three-pointer at the 10:53 mark brought Lincoln with 23 points but the Trojans were relentless in their attack.
Trailing 58-35 with 6:23 left in the game, two made free throws and a layup by Pendleton allowed the Lady Lions to pull within 19 points (58-39). Lincoln was unable to overcome the deficit as Virginia State continued to dominate the momentum and the scoreboard in the remainder of the contest to earn the 73-49 victory.
The members of the CIAA All-Tournament Team include:
Name Pos. Class School
Amber Curtis Guard Jr. Livingstone
Cierra York Guard Sr. Livingstone
Lady Walker Forward/Center R-Soph. Virginia Union
Kesheria McNeil Guard Jr. Winston-Salem State
Verdine Walker Center Sr. Shaw
Zephrah Pam Forward Sr. Lincoln
Tiffanie Adair Forward Sr. Virginia State
Amani Clark Guard Jr. Lincoln
Dashae Jones Guard Sr. Virginia State
Jadda Jeffries Guard Sr. Elizabeth City State
2015 Women’s Most Valuable Player
Tiffanie Adair Forward Sr. Virginia State
2015 CIAA Women's Team Sportsmanship Award
Bowie State University
