Maliik Obee
Special to the AFRO
After four women’s games to kick off the second day of the 2024 CIAA Tournament, the men’s teams had their chance to step on the hardwood. The Bowie State Bulldogs fought off a late storm from the Blue Bears to claim a 69-66 victory.
With the game in the balance in the final-two minutes, Bowie’s ability to knock down free throws (19-28) in the waning moments helped them to secure victory.
The win propels Bowie to Wednesday’s quarterfinals, where they’ll face the top-seeded Fayetteville State Broncos.
Tuesday’s contest started with Bowie State taking an early lead, led by guard Warren Mouganda and forward Emmanuel Ayetigo. The Blue Bears struggled to score in the first half, but Bowie getting into early foul trouble and playing loose with the ball (16 turnovers) allowed Livingstone to keep the contest close.
Blue Bears All-CIAA forward Khyree Temple was forced to sit for the later portion of the first half after picking up three fouls.
In the final-five minutes of the first half, Bowie turned up the intensity on both sides of the court. CIAA Rookie of the Year Kevon Corley scored 10 points in 20 minutes (4 for 7 shot attempts), along with three rebounds and an assist.
Mouganda ended the first half with 11 points, as Bowie climbed to a 36-24 lead.
In the second half, the Bulldogs got off to a quick start, climbing to a 17-point lead, before the Blue Bears came roaring back. On the boards, Livingstone out-hustled the Bulldogs, nabbing 29 rebounds to Bowie’s 24.
After his early foul troubles, Temple scored 15 points, despite struggling to put the ball in the basket consistently (6 for 16). Guard Teon Tiller used his quickness and high basketball IQ to lead the Blue Bears with 17 points, chipping in four rebounds and four assists.
But no matter how much Livingstone tried, they couldn’t take control of the contest, failing to gain the lead once. Forward Joel Webb recorded a 13-point, 12-rebound triple-double, while guards Corley (15 points) and Mouganda (17 points) put points on the board to keep the lead throughout.
Bluefield State stuns Livingstone in late game thriller
The second day of the 2024 CIAA Tournament started with excitement, as the Bluefield State Big Blue defeated the Livingstone Blue Bears 59-56 in a late-game thriller. Senior All-CIAA forward Alexyss Newman’s 20 points helped fourth-seed Bluefield move on to Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
After trailing 32-26 at halftime, Livingstone rallied with work on the boards (36 rebounds) – thanks, in part, to the job by All-CIAA rookie Nielle Reaves. The freshman guard from New Haven, Conn., scored 20 points on 8 for 11 shooting from the floor, hitting four three-pointers and dishing out three assists. In the third quarter, Livingstone held the Big Blue to 2 of 15 shot attempts, while outscoring them 16-11.
Bluefield’s defense expressed itself in a major way throughout the second half, as Livingstone floundered its opportunities to pull away with 26 turnovers. Guard Azariah Binford’s ability to spread the ball (eight assists) on a 3-for-9 shooting day helped Big Blue find open shooters in the clutch.
No player was more clutch than Newman, whose five made free throws outnumbered Livingstone’s attempts from the charity stripe (1-3). Despite going 6-for-16 from the field, Newman’s most-valuable buckets came down the stretch, for her third-straight 20-point game.
The Bluefield Men’s and Women’s teams have advanced to Day 2. The women face the first-seed Fayetteville State Broncos on Feb. 28 at 4:30 p.m., EST on ESPN Plus.
St. Augustine’s women rout Lincoln 64-52
St. Augustine’s University advanced past the Lincoln Lions 64-52 as part of Tuesday’s quadruple-header on the women’s side. After firing to a fast start, the Falcons survived a late push from the Lions in the fourth quarter.
All-CIAA forward Taniyah Greene led all scorers with 19 points on 8 of 15 shooting from the field, along with six rebounds.
The Falcons started strong, taking a 12-2 first quarter lead before going into the half up 30-15.
Most of St. Aug’s points were generated in the paint and in transition, with the team shooting 3 for 11 from 3-point range. Its backcourt answered the call of “Who’s here to play,” thanks to a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) from guard Lauren Banks and a 12-point, seven-rebound game from guard Janiya Reed.
Despite having four players score in double-digits, turnovers prevented the Falcons (22 turnovers) from pulling away – but also the Lions (29) from making a comeback.
The fourth quarter saw a valiant effort from Lincoln, outscoring the Falcons 25-22, but it was too-little, too-late. St. Aug’s ability to score in the paint, slow the game down and convert at the free throw line (8-14), allowed the Falcons to pull off the win.
Shaw trumps Virginia Union in overtime-thriller
Coming in as the sixth-seed, the Shaw Bears were the underdogs against the third-seed Virginia Union Panthers. But, after clawing out an overtime 65-64 victory, the Bears will move forward in the 2024 CIAA Tournament.
The third contest of the day was high-intensity from the tip-off, as the Bears and Panthers traded buckets through the first two quarters.
Virginia Union pulled to a 29-27 lead at halftime, after guard Taniah Johnson scored nine points on 3 of 4 attempts from the 3-point line.
Despite seven points each from guard Camilla Barreno and forward Raneem Elbarky, nine turnovers prevented the Bears from keeping their early seven-point lead. Seasoned guard Alliyah Chapman got into early foul trouble with three fouls, crippling the Bears’ physical backcourt.
But, in the second-half, Shaw rallied, outscoring Union 12-8 in the third quarter. The teams traded buckets in the fourth period, with each placing three scorers in double-figures. In the final minute, Shaw soared behind a clutch three-pointer from Elisha Quinn, before All-CIAA forward Alexis Radcliffe sent the game into overtime. On the inbound pass, guard Lojain Elfatairy found a cutting Radcliffe open under the basket, as she dropped in the easy layup with three seconds remaining.
In overtime, Union guard Nevaeh Reaves (17 points) picked up the slack for the Panthers, after Johnson (12 points) went down with an injury. For Shaw, forward Zaniyyah Ross-Barnes (17 points) scored pivotal late-game points in the paint, as well as at the charity stripe (7-11 free throws).
Elfatairy nailed a game-winning shot by driving to the cup and scooping in a contested layup.
Union fell short on its final shot attempt, as forward Ny Langley’s driving layup rolled out. With 15 points, four assists and two rebounds, guard Camilla Barreno was named the game’s most valuable player.
The sixth-seed Bears advance to the quarterfinals, facing the two-seed Claflin Panthers on Feb. 29.
Johnson C. Smith handles Winston-Salem State 65-59
Winston Salem State upset sixth-seed Bowie State to earn an appearance in Day 2 of the CIAA Tournament, yet the Rams’ championship dreams were dashed at the hands of the third-seed Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls on Tuesday.
The Golden Bulls ended matters succinctly with a 65-59 victory.
The final contest of the evening on the women’s side was a scrappy matchup from the tip-off, with both defenses keeping the game low-scoring and close. But mid-way through the second quarter, Johnson C. Smith forced several stops, with forward Kelis Carmon blocking four shots.
Carmon led both teams at the half with 6 points, as the Golden Bulls climbed to a 27-23 lead. Sophomore guard Najah Lane commanded the floor, scoring four points, along with grabbing four rebounds and dishing three assists.
The second half saw guard Ciara Harris (9 points) and forward Ashley Kirven (19 points) taking over scoring duties for the Bulls, while the Rams struggled to put the ball in the basket. After earning Monday’s most valuable player award (25 points) in the Rams’ opening-night victory over Bowie State, the Bulls limited guard Amaya Tucker to 2-6 shooting through three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, down by double-digits, Rams guards Janaiya Mack and Kennedi Simmons attempted to pick up the offensive slack. But, the Golden Bulls kept their foot on the gas, maintaining a healthy lead by slowing down the game on offense and feeding the ball into the paint.
Kirven was too much for the Rams to handle, recording a double-double with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 3 blocks. Climbing above double-digits (11 points), Tucker fought to bring the Rams back, but the attempt was too late.
The Golden Bulls move on to face the two-seed Virginia State Trojans on Feb.29 at 6 p.m. on ESPN Plus.
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