CHARLOTTE – Virginia Union won three games
during the regular season, but two of those wins came against
Elizabeth City State.
The regular season held true to form as the Lady Panthers topped the
Lady Vikings for a third time 69-65 in the CIAA Women’s Tournament
first-round game on Monday at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
Despite being a lower seed, the No. 10 Lady Panthers had their way
again with the No. 7 Lady Vikings, who finished the season 13-15
overall. The Lady Panthers (4-22), winners of three straight games,
advance to the quarterfinals despite having the worst record in the
CIAA. They take on No. 2 Bowie State on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
Camille Johnson sealed the win with a free throw – her only point
- with two seconds left, but the shooting of Ashley Hill and the
inside play of Katchona Johnson and Keisha Futrell sparked the Lady
Panthers. Johnson led the way with 16 points while Hill added 15
points including three 3-pointers and Futrell had 12 points and 10
rebounds.
Hill made a clutch three-pointer with 1:03 remaining for a 66-63
Lady Panther lead which held up. Joyce Freeman, who scored a
game-high 22 points and added 10 rebounds, scored on a short jumper
with 16.8 seconds left to pull the Lady Vikings within one but Hill
countered with two free throws for a 68-65 Lady Panther lead. The
Vikings misfired on a potential game-tying three-point attempt, and
Camille Johnson made the game-clinching free throw.
Shaquella Johnson added 11 points and 9 rebounds and April Whitaker
grabbed 15 rebounds for the Lady Vikings, who outrebounded the Lady
Panthers 56-46 without star center Celeste Trahan, the CIAA MVP and
defensive player of the year who was out with a knee injury. But the
Lady Vikings shot 32.9 percent and committed 24 turnovers.
The Lady Panthers shot 31.8 percent from the floor but made 21 of 31
free throws.
It appeared the Lady Vikings didn’t need Trahan at first, jumping
out to a 13-3 lead early in the game. But the Lady Panthers, aided
by a press defense, slowly chipped away at the margin. The Lady
Panthers led 20-19 after Latoya Jarvis’ free throw capped a 17-6
run with 8:17 in the first half. The Lady Panthers went into
halftime leading 35-29.
Hill scored 10 points and Katchona Johnson added eight points in the
first half for the Lady Panthers, who led despite shooting 28.6
percent from the floor but they scored 13 points off 18 turnovers.
The Lady Vikings were led by Freeman with 9 points and center
Christina Hager with 7 points, but Hager picked up her third foul
midway in the first half and the Lady Vikings were never the same.
Hager eventually fouled out in the second half.
LADY TROJANS ADVANCE TO SECOND ROUND WITH WIN OVER
LIVINGSTONE
February 25, 2008
Charlotte, NC – The Virginia State University Lady Trojans (eighth
seed) eliminated the Lady Blue Bears of Livingstone College (ninth
seed) Monday night 54-49 in the opening round of the 33rd Annual
CIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament from the Charlotte Bobcats
Arena.
These two teams split their regular season series (1-1). Livingstone
won the initial match-up 64-63 in overtime, while VSU earned a 47-43
victory in the second contest. Both teams won on their home floor,
but the third and most significant game was decided on a neutral
court.
At the half, the Lady Blue Bears were up 23-18. The low scoring
first half should have come as no surprise to those who follow the
two teams. Livingstone averaged 54.4 points per game in the regular
season and the Lady Trojans only managed a slightly better average
at 58.8 ppg.
Neither squad shot well from the floor. VSU shot 20 percent
(4-of-20) from the field, led by All-CIAA junior guard Katania
Walker’s six first half points. Livingstone’s senior center Lina
Brown led all scorers at the half with eight points, along with
seven rebounds. The Lady Blue Bears only shot 25.9 percent (7-of-27)
from the floor, but out-rebounded Virginia State 25-to-18. The Lady
Trojans also outscored Livingstone 6-to-2 in second chance
opportunities and 8-to-2 inside the paint.
The contest remained close throughout much of the second half. There
were 14 ties and 17 lead changes in this match-up. The Lady Trojans
were able to pull away and maneuver themselves to victory by
converting 18 points off 23 Livingstone turnovers.
Virginia State’s junior forward Eugenna Carson produced a
double-double performance with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Walker
finished with 11 points and six rebounds for VSU.
Despite the loss, Brown capped off a double-double for Livingstone
pulling down 15 rebounds and scoring 14 points.
Virginia State advances in the tournament to face the first seed,
Shaw University (18-11). Shaw was victorious in both regular season
meetings. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 pm on Tuesday, February 26th
inside the Charlotte Bobcats Arena
