Day three has concluded from the CIAA tournament, and as the field begins to dwindle, the emotion intensifies, producing some exciting action on the floor.
Here are the results from day three of the CIAA tournament.
Men
Bluefield State 67, Winston-Salem State 66; Game MVP: Bluefield State G Ja’Mere Redus
Day two of the CIAA tournament got off to an explosive start as the reigning conference champions were taken down by the new kids on the block.
The Bluefield State Big Blue punched its tickets to the semifinals with a 67-66 overtime win over the Winston-Salem State Rams.
Jordan Hinds produced a full line totaling 16 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks.
Ja’Mere Redus put up 15 points and five assists, while Nduka Ogwu filled the stat sheet with 14 points, ten rebounds, four steals, and three blocks.
CIAA Player of the Year Jaylen Alston did all he could to give the Rams a chance to win, compiling 34 points and 15 rebounds.
Winston-Salem State struggled to find consistent scoring outside of Alston in a game that saw five players from Bluefield State score in double figures.
The remaining Rams combined to score just 32 points on 44 shot attempts
Virginia State 66, Johnson C. Smith 56; Game MVP: Virginia State F Tremere Brown
The Virginia State Trojans fought through a slow start on their way to a 66-56 win over the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls.
Jared Clawson led the Trojans with 15 points, six rebounds, and three assists, while Jonathan Norfleet had 14 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
Tremere Brown and Dajour Rucker each recorded double-doubles, with Brown adding two steals and two blocks to his stat line.
Golden Bulls forward Ashton Sherrell led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field. He added five rebounds, three blocks, and two steals.
Avery Huggins posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds.
Johnson C. Smith got a fast start, outscoring Virginia State 15-0 in the game’s first five minutes.
Virginia State would get themselves settled, taking advantage of a cold streak by the Golden Bulls by going 14-1 run.
After threatening on multiple occasions, with both teams battling rough shooting stretches, the Trojans finally took their first lead and would carry it into halftime.
Virginia State would not release the gas, holding on to the lead for the entire second half, peaking with a 12-point advantage with eight minutes remaining.
𝐃𝐎𝐖𝐍 𝐆𝐎 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐃𝐄𝐅𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐌𝐏𝐒
#GuardTheHill // #CIAATourney pic.twitter.com/y4PR41MJ7u
— Big Blue Athletics (@bstatesports) February 28, 2024
Fayetteville State 68, Bowie State 46; Game MVP: Fayetteville State F Kaleb Coleman
The Fayetteville State Broncos started their tournament run on a high note following a 77-53 win over the Bowie State Bulldogs.
Tairrell Fletcher rose to the occasion for the Broncos, scoring 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting from the field. He also had six rebounds and three steals.
Kaleb Coleman had 21 points, shooting an efficient 7-of-10 from the field, connecting on six three-pointers. Caleb Simmons chipped 15 points and nine rebounds.
Joel Webb and Warren Mouganda each netted 10 points for the Bulldogs, with the former also grabbing eight rebounds.
The Broncos got a big boost from Coleman in the form of a hot start. He scored 17 points in the first half, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the three-point line.
This set the tone for the rest of the game, as the Bulldogs could not match the Broncos’ lights-out shooting en route to the most lopsided game of the tournament thus far.
Lincoln (PA) 76, Elizabeth City State 62, Game MVP: Lincoln (PA) G Reggie Hudson
Day three of the CIAA tournament ended with the Lincoln (PA) Lions returning with a 76-62 win over the Elizabeth City State Vikings.
Reggie Hudson filled the stat sheet with 17 points (including 13 free throws), nine rebounds, eight assists, and two steals.
Ethan Garita came off the bench to score 13 points for the Lions, shooting 5-of-6 from the field. Bakir Cleveland finished with 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals.
Lady Vikings ADVANCE to the final four!
pic.twitter.com/Fmen6ZhB3F
— ECSU Athletics (@ECSUVikings) February 28, 2024
With 5:08 to go in the first half, Lincoln led Elizabeth City State 26-24. That would be the last time the game was that close as the Lions went on a 16-4 run to end the half.
This run cleared a distance for the Lions on the road to victory, cementing their spot in the semifinal round.
Women
Elizabeth City State 64, St. Augustine’s 60; Game MVP: Elizabeth City State F Dy’Jhanik Armfield
The Elizabeth City State Vikings became the first women’s team to secure a spot in the semifinals following a 64-60 win over the St. Augustine’s Falcons.
Dy’Jhanik Armfield led the way for Elizabeth City State, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds, and two steals.
Alanas Hill posted 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Rashauna Grant contributed 10 points and eight rebounds.
Falcons’ forward Janiya Reed posted a team-high 16 points alongside a pair of double-doubles from Lauren Banks and Taniyah Greene.
The momentum in this game turned in St. Augustine’s favor in the second quarter when they outscored ECSU 14-3 in the period’s final five minutes. This included scoring eight unanswered points going into halftime with a 31-25 lead.
However, Elizabeth City State would quickly turn the tables in the third quarter with renewed energy, going on a 23-4 run.
Six unanswered points to end the third quarter helped give the Falcons a chance to win, but not enough to get the lead back.
Fayetteville State 59, Bluefield State 45; Game MVP: Fayetteville State G Aniylah Bryant
The CIAA’s number one overall-seeded Fayetteville State Broncos kept its championship hopes alive following a 59-45 win over the Bluefield State Big Blue.
Aniylah Bryant showed precisely why she was named CIAA Player of the Year, scoring a game-high 24 points, connecting on three-pointers, and adding seven rebounds and four steals.
Alexyss Newman was Bluefield State’s top scorer, putting up 16 points and eight rebounds.
After a hotly contested first quarter, Fayetteville State put together the first big run in the second quarter.
They outscored the Big Blue 14-2 in the period’s final minutes to take an 11-point lead into halftime.
From there, the Broncos went into cruise control, keeping the Big Blue at bay. They were led by as many as 19 points on their way to victory and advancing to the semifinals.
