With the exception of the third quarter, Claflin outscored Shaw in what turned out to be the most lopsided game of the CIAA Tournament.
Nya Morris, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, was the standout performer with 25 points, 10 rebounds and four steals for Claflin, and Leigha Harris registered 13 points and eight boards as the Panthers sailed to a comfortable 26-point win in a quarterfinal matchup against Shaw on Thursday afternoon.
Ashari Lewis poured in 15 points for Claflin, which improves to 17-10 overall and will advance to face defending Cchampion Elizabeth City State in the semifinal on Friday at noon.
Claflin forced 22 turnovers while committing only nine. In the fourth quarter, the Panthers outscored the Bears 17-7 en route to the dominant win.
“Last year, we opened up the tournament and we were the first ones to go home,” Claflin Head Coach Terrence Jenkins said in the post-game press conference, pointing out the loss the team took to Shaw to end their season in 2023.
Alexis Radcliff scored 13 and Elisha Quinn finished with 11 points for Shaw. The two combined for nine rebounds in the season-ending loss.
Virginia State 51, JCSU 42
A concerted fourth-quarter comeback effort by Virginia State resulted in a hard-fought quarterfinal win over Johnson C. Smith on Thursday evening.
During the quarter, the Trojans forced turnover after turnover as part of a relentless defensive onslaught that enabled the team to outscore their opponents 22-4 en route to the nine-point victory.
Sophomore guard Mihjae Hayes was the leader on both ends of the floor for VSU, finishing the game with 21 points, four steals and four assists. Amesha Miller ws also huge down the stretch and added 14 points to go with seven boards.
The Golden Bulls led 4-2 midway through the first. Several possessions later, Hayes nailed a triple and took the ball coast to coast for a layin that gave the Trojans their first lead, 9-8, late in the first.
A putback by Miller gave VSU a 12-8 lead heading into the second quarter, capping off an 8-1 scoring run.
JCSU forward Lynese Johnson opened the second quarter with an offensive rebound and putback before VSU’s Tiynna James responded with a left-wing trey, keeping the Trojans ahead by a small margin.
The Trojans’ zone defense seemed to be effective in the early going, clogging the lane and forcing contested jumpers. Yet and still, the Golden Bulls had a number of good looks but struggled to find the basket.
A pair of free throws by Miller broke a near-four-minute scoring drought for Virginia State. After getting a stop on the other end, Tatiana Jones finished a transition layup to give the Trojans a 23-18 lead heading into the locker rooms.
Both squads struggled offensively as VSU connected on 8 of 31 field goals while the Golden Bulls shot 6 of 24 from the field. Hayes led all scorers with 10 points by halftime.
Kelis Carmon’s free throws followed by an Ashlei Kirven steal and layup cut JCSU’s deficit to 23-22 early in the third. A few plays later, a deep 2 from Carmon gave the Golden Bulls their first lead since early in the first.
Kirven added a few more easy buckets to extend JCSU’s lead to 28-23. The 10-0 run forced a Virginia State timeout just over the midpoint of the third quarter. VSU finally stopped the bleeding on a pair of free throws by Miller. Before then, JCSU scored 13 unanswered points to take control of the game.
Miller scored the Trojans’ first field of the third quarter on a driving layup with 1:30 left in the period. A left-wing triple by JCSU’s Queen Ruffin gave her team a somewhat cozy 38-29 lead entering the fourth.
A feed and finish down low to Kirven put the Golden Bulls ahead 40-33 with 7:30 remaining in the game.
Back-to-back floaters from Miller and Hayes made it a 40-37 ball game. Hayes stole the ball on two more possessions that led to transition points on the other end as the Trojans regained their lead, 41-40, and the crowd erupted.
The Trojans continued to force turnovers and convert on the offensive end, going on the score 12 straight points for a 45-40 lead at the 1:51 mark. In the final minute of regulation, VSU took a three-possession lead off of Hayes’ free throws, sealing the win for the Trojans.
Johnson C. Smith outrebounded VSU 41-35 but committed a costly 28 turnovers. Carmon scored 13 and Kirven recorded 10 points and 18 boards for the Golden Bulls, who finish their season at 14-13 overall.
Virginia State will advance to the semifinal match against Fayetteville State on Friday at 6 p.m.
Men’s results
Claflin 75, Virginia State 69
A 23-point performance from Claflin guard Jailen Williams powered the Panthers to a tight quarterfinal win over Virginia State on Thursday afternoon.
Williams shot 3 of 5 from deep and made 10 of 12 free throws while Daijohn Stewart added 12 points for the Panthers.
From a statistical standpoint, the difference appeared to come down to free throws. VSU made more field goals than its opponent, but Claflin made 26 free throws. Virginia State was 16-of-18 shooting from the free throw line.
Claflin began the afternoon on a 14-2 run before leading 23-11 later in the first half. The Trojans put together a comeback surge to close the gap to 34-28 by the break.
Williams’ made a 3 that put the Panthers on top, 45-33, with 14:42 remaining, then a layup from HowVante Hutherson put them up by 14.
From there, the Trojans played catch-up for the remainder of the contest. The rally was led by Tremere Brown and Kendall Bynum. However, Claflin held on to its lead for the rest of the afternoon.
Both teams scored 41 in a back-and-forth second half to bring the final outcome to 75-69.
Bynum led Virginia State wiith an efficient 19 points and Tim Uzochuwku chipped in with 11 points. VSU’s season ends with a 15-15 record as Claflin advances to the semifinal round against Lincoln on Friday at 2 p.m.
Virginia Union 61, Bluefield State 55
Jonathan King and Tahj Harding scored 15 apiece and Jonathan Salazar added 12 points to power Virginia Union past a resilient Bluefield State squad to conclude CIAA Tournament Day 4 action.
BSU’s record didn’t reflect how good it was as a team. The Big Blue entered the matchup after winning the play-in game on Monday night and prevailing over defending champion Winston-Salem State.
Three minutes into the game, the Panthers led 6-3 and were in control for most of the first half.
Harding had a solid start for VUU. The 6-foot-5 guard scored 10 in the first 20 minutes as the main offensive weapon for the Panthers early on.
A putback lay-in by King gave the Panthers a double-digit lead, 22-11, near the 10:00 mark of the first half. Jordan Hinds and Travon Cooper two 3s to ignite an 8-0 run to bring the score back with one possession.
For the most part, the first half was a back-and-forth battle between VUU, the second-ranked team in the Northern Division, and BSU, the sixth-ranked team in the same division. Entering the tournament with a 7-21 record, the Big Blue was the clear underdog.
Hinds knocked down another triple to slice BSU’s deficit to 32-29 at halftime. He and Cooper had nine points each for the Big Blue by intermission.
On the other hand, King scored 12 and Harding poured in 10 points for the Panthers at the half.
The Big Blue began the second half with defensive intensity and took a 33-32 lead off a Cooper lay-in at the 17:47 mark. That was BSU’s first lead of the night.
With about 11:30 left, Harding knocked down another triple that helped VUU regain a short-lived 39-38 lead. Daryl Mackey hit a pull-up jumper to make it 40-39, BSU’s way, at the 10-minute mark.
Based on the back-and-forth nature of the game, it was apparent that the outcome could very well be decided in the final moments of the contest. The Panthers went up 46-40 with 5:30 left in regulation after three straight buckets from forward Jonathan Salazar.
An aggressive VUU zone defense made it difficult for the Big Blue to generate any half-court offense in the latter half of the second period. BSU’s more promising scoring opportunities came in transition.
Nonetheless, the Panthers were up 53-43 with two-and-a-half minutes of action left. Turnovers and missed free throws hirt Bluefield State in the game’s crucial moments.
A steal and two-handed flush by King gave Virginia Union an 11-point lead with just over a minute remaining. VUU sustained a three-possession cushion in the final minutes, but BSU (9-22) fought to the end despite the season-ending loss.
Guard Ja’Mere Redus recorded a game-high 18 points and five assists while Cooper registered 17 points and six rebounds, and Hinds poured in 13 points and seven boards.
The victory puts Virginia Union in the semifinal against Fayetteville State scheduled for Fridaay at 8 p.m.