02.25 | Men's Basketball
CHARLOTTE, NC - Late free throws and key defensive stops helped propel #6 Shaw University to a 76-70 win over #3 Virginia Union University in CIAA Tournament action Thursday afternoon.
Shaw battled to take a 34-27 lead into halftime and got up by as many as 11 points in the second half after scoring seven points in less than a minute at the 12:00 mark. With the Bears holding onto a 52-40 lead, the Panthers went on an 8-0 run to cut the Shaw lead to four points with just over nine minutes to play in the game.
Virginia Union's experience in the CIAA Tournament kept them within striking distance when Braxton Byerson drained a three pointer for his team, cutting the Bear lead to 63-58 with 3:06 left on the clock.
After a missed three point attempt by the Byerson, Shaw's Smith was fouled on a drive to lane and went on to hit both foul shots to once against spread the Bear lead to seven points at 65-58. King kept the Panthers in the game after converting a three point play, cutting the Bear lead to 65-61 with 1:51 to play in regulation.
Shaw was clutch at the foul line over the final two minutes of the game with Smith and Adrian Bascom going 4-4 to give their team a 69-61 lead over the Panthers. Virginia Union stayed close after Wayne Ford drained a three pointer with 1:20 to play in the game. Ford's three point shot cut the Bear lead to 69-64 with a minute to play in the game. The Panthers were forced to foul after facing a five point deficit with under a minute to play. The Bears hit 7-10 free throws over the final minute to help propel them to the victory.
Virginia Union struggled from the floor, hitting just 37% (22-60) from the floor in the game. Ryan King led all scorers with 23 points on an 8-19 floor performance. Braxton Byerson scored 12 points. Redford pulled down 14 rebounds and five blocks.
The Panthers finished their season with a 19-9 record
READ MORE...
02.23 | Women's Basketball
Lady Vikings stops the Lady Panthers run in the CIAA Tournament to a 65-57 win on Tuesday night.
VUU (7-19) scored the opening basket, before Joyce Freeman and Gill keyed a 12-4 run that gave the Lady Vikings a nine-point lead they would never relinquish.
The Lady Panthers shot 43.1 percent from the field and out-rebounded ECSU 43-31. However, the Lady Vikings scored 29 points off of 28 VUU turnovers.
“I take my hat off to Elizabeth City, they came out and fought hard,” said VUU head coach Bryan Underwood. “I just thought we turned the ball over a little too much. One of the biggest things we want to do is get to the foul line and we only got there 15 times. Other than turnovers, I think it’d be a brand new ball game.”
Tonaye Smith, the CIAA Player of the Year, picked up her fourth foul with 16 minutes remaining in the game and her team trialing by five. She managed to finish with a team-high 21 points in her final game at VUU.
Despite the loss, Smith said she has no regrets.
“I’m happy actually, because I left it all out there,” she said. “I’m happy I’m graduating. That’s all -- I did the best I could.”
Teammate Gabrielle Easley had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Lady Panthers.
READ MORE...