By Maliik Obee
Special to the AFRO
No. 2-seed Claflin escaped with a reassuring 75-69 victory over Virginia State, overcoming its turnovers, gaffes and mistakes to advance to the semifinals of the CIAA Tournament on Feb. 29.
Both teams struggled with turnovers, but the Panthers managed to score 30 points off of Virginia State’s 18 turnovers. That was one reason for the Panthers to feel invigorated about just getting by the pesky Trojans.
Claflin guard Jailen Williams gave them another reason to smile bright. He earned most valuable player honors, after recording a game-high 23 points.
Every bucket came in handy, as this game bounced back and forth.
Despite 19 points from guard Kendall Bynum and 11 from Tim Uzochukwu, the Trojans failed to find another double-digit scorer. At the half, Claflin took a 34-28 lead.
Virginia State slowed the contest down in the second half, hitting 14-of-29 shots (48 percent) and converting 10 of 12 free throw attempts.
The two teams traded buckets through the night, but Claflin’s rebounding ability (29) and Virginia State’s foul trouble (29) prevented the Trojans from making a comeback. Despite both teams scoring 41 in the second half, Claflin pulled away late at the free throw line and by finding clutch points in the paint.
The win puts both the Claflin men and women’s teams in the semifinals, with the gentlemen preparing to face top-seeded Lincoln on March 2 at 2 p.m. EST on ESPN Plus.
Virginia Union knocks off Bluefield State 61-55 to climb to CIAA tournament semifinals
The second men’s game of the evening featured a determined Virginia Union Panthers squad, who advanced to the CIAA semifinals with a 61-55 win over Bluefield State.
The quadruple-header finale on Feb. 29 was another back-and-forth contest, with both teams tying four times and each accounting for two lead changes. Both teams shot over 40 percent in the first half, but Virginia Union’s ability to score points in the paint (24) helped them maintain a 32-29 lead at halftime.
Early in the second half, Union’s frontcourt trio of All-CIAA forward Tahj Harding (15 points), Jonathan Salazar (12 points) and Jonathan King (15 points), provided the late-game scoring the Panthers needed to maintain control of the contest.
Bluefield State had three double-digit scorers of their own (Ja’Mere Redus, Jordan Hinds, Travon Cooper), but their poor shooting from deep (1-9 3pa) and allowing 12 points off turnovers proved to be crucial down the stretch. Union took an 11-point lead in the half, before fighting off a valiant late-game effort from the Big Blue.
Panther Head Coach Jay Butler discussed the win following the contest.
“I gotta tip my hat off to Bluefield State,” he said. “They had a good run, and they gave us fits all game – that’s a tough team.”
The Panthers pressed throughout this game and seemed to apply constant pressure. It may have been the difference in the win.
“As the game went on, I thought we wore them down a bit,” Butler said. “ King stepped up, made some plays for us. Tahj has been consistent for us all year. He stepped up and made plays for us when we needed him to. Good win – on to the next.”
On Friday, the No.2-seeded Panthers face the top-seed Fayetteville State Broncos at 8 p.m. EST on ESPN Plus.
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