By Maliik Obee
Special to the AFRO
Fans at the CFG Bank Arena filled the lower-level seats on March 1 to watch four women’s and men’s teams advance into the finals of the CIAA Tournament, set for March 2.
They were pleased with their proximity to the court and the thrilling game action.
The defending champion Elizabeth City State Vikings defeated the Claflin Panthers 70-58 to book a return trip to the women’s title game.
Fifth-year guard Nyasia Blango went to work and earned the game’s most valuable player honor, scoring 18 points, grabbing five rebounds and collecting three steals.
The Vikings forced 21 turnovers and finished with five scorers in double-digits. They led throughout the contest, even as the Panthers shot better (41.7 percent) from the field than the Vikings (37.9 percent).
The Vikings scored 28 points off turnovers and cruised to victory in the fourth quarter.
The Vikings’ defense held the Panthers without a double-digit scorer and held the Panthers’ prolific backcourt in check. After earning MVP honors in Thursday’s 71-45 win over Shaw, Claflin guard Nya Morris was held to nine points (3-13) on March 1. Fellow guard Destiny Coleman chipped in nine points and six rebounds, but the pair combined for 10 turnovers.
The No. 1-seeded Vikings face No. 1-seeded Fayetteville State Broncos in the women’s finals of the CIAA Tournament at 1 p.m. on March 2 on ESPN Plus.
Top-seeded Fayetteville State dispatches Virginia State 86-61 and advance to women’s championship game
Fayetteville State earned a berth into the CIAA Tournament championship game with a clap-worthy 86-61 rout over Virginia State, justifying its current No.12 ranking in NCAA Division II basketball.
When the clock expired, the crowd clapped for the Broncos and guard Aniylah Bryant, who scored a game-high 31 points.
Bryant’s performance solidified her case for the CIAA Player of the Year Award – an honor she happily accepted.
The senior guard from Havelock, N.C., put up the best shooting display on either side of the tournament during the week and in CIAA Tournament history. After winning the MVP on Feb. 28 (24 points), Bryant returned on March 2 with a perfect 11-for-11 shooting performance from the field – making 5-for-5 shot attempts from 3-point range.
Bryant scored 20-plus points for the fourth-straight game, along with four steals on the defensive end. She also made 4 of 6 free throw attempts – throwing off her perfect nightly just slightly.
As good as Bryant was offensively, the Broncos’ stifling defense and their ability to find open shooters helped stretch their lead to as much as 26 points. Floor general Talia Trotter dished 13 assists along with seven points.
The Broncos controlled the pace of the contest from the beginning, racing to a 37-26 lead at the half on 16-for-31 shooting.
No. 1-seeded Fayetteville State heads into the women’s championship game against No.1-seeded Elizabeth City State with hopes of securing its second championship in three seasons.
Top-seeded Lincoln (PA.) defeats Claflin 58-52 to return to men’s CIAA championship game
A season ago, the sixth-seed Lincoln Lions fell to the Winston Salem State Rams in the CIAA Championship game.
On March 2, during the semifinals of the CIAA Tournament, the top-seeded Lions narrowly defeated Claflin 58-52 to return to the title game on March 2 – setting up a rematch of last season’s game.
The Lions are thinking of revenge – it showed in their exacting play against Claflin. .
Lincoln guard Reggie Hudson earned the most valuable player honor for the contest, scoring 14 points, while grabbing eight rebounds and dishing out four assists.
Guards Freddie Young Jr. (11 points) and Bakir Cleveland (10 points) scored in double-digits, helping the Lions develop a 17-point lead in the first half.
Claflin rallied to take the lead once during the contest, struggling from both inside and outside. After shooting 8-for-30 from the field in the first half (26 percent), the Panthers managed to outscore the Lions in the second half (29-23), despite shooting 8-for-29 from the field.
Lincoln’s scrappy defense left the Panthers befuddled.
Following the game, Lions forward Janaie Coates-Sinues addressed the media and explained why this game was personal for him. With tears in his eyes, he said his deceased mother was an inspiration for his play.
“We all have a ‘Why,’” he said. “This is my mother, she passed away. This is my, ‘Why?’ – I do it for her.”
His team, too, served as inspiration.
“I do it for my brothers,” Coates-Sinues said. “Every day, I write it on my wrist. It’s deep. We fight, we’ve been fighting for a long time. I’ve been fighting for a long time. Sacrifices, people don’t understand we’ve been here before – and it takes a lot to get here. It’s a beautiful moment.”
Top-seeded Lincoln faces top-seeded Fayetteville State Broncos in the finals of the men’s CIAA Tournament on March 2 at 4 p.m.
Fayetteville State men overcome Virginia Union in 53-51 defensive battle
Defense told the story as Fayetteville State squeaked by Virginia Union 53-51 to advance to the finals of the CIAA Tournament on March 2.
With the win, Fayetteville’s men’s team joins the women’s teams in the championship title game.
Fayetteville forward Caleb Simmons took home the game’s most valuable player honor, scoring 20 points (7-11) and grabbing nine rebounds. Forward Kaleb Coleman was the Broncos other double-digit scorer, adding 13 points along with five rebounds.
Both teams struggled from the field, shooting well under 40 percent, along with both shooting 6-for-19 from 3-point range.
Every possession appeared tight in this contest. Every turnover was costly.
Union’s 13 turnovers proved devastating. With the seconds expiring, the Broncos made valuable free throws to secure a late-game advantage and run out the clock.
Fayetteville State faces the Lincoln Lions in the finals of the CIAA Tournament at 4 p.m. EST on ESPN Plus.
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