St. Augustine's Starts Slow, Finishes Big Over Virginia State
ST. AUGUSTINE'S STARTS SLOW, FINISHES BIG OVER VIRGINIA STATE
February 7, 2006
CHARLOTTE, NC - Saint Augustine's College shook off a slow start and cruised to a 69-44 victory over Virginia State University in the first round of the 31st annual Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Women's Basketball Tournament inside Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. on Monday (Feb. 27).
St. Augustine's took more than six minutes to score its first field goal, as Virginia State jumped out to a 9-3 lead.
The Lady Falcons responded by going on a 19-2 run, including 11 unanswered points, over the next eight minutes to take a 22-11 advantage with 6:42 left in the first half. VSU managed to trim the deficit to 34-27 at the break.
Midway through the second stanza, SAC posted a 17-3 run for a 60-39 cushion with 4:21 left to play to put the game away.
"I am pleased with our performance," said SAC head coach Antonio Davis. "The young ladies paid attention to detail in the game plan."
SAC (17-11) was topped by junior forward LaConya Polk with a game-high 20 points to go along with six rebounds. Junior forward Renata Overton chipped in 10 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for her first double-double of the season, while junior guard Valicia Brown added 13 points.
VSU (5-23) was led by sophomore guard Janae Johnson with 14 points, followed by senior guard Erica Glasper with 11 points.
VSU committed 26 turnovers, resulting in 33 points for the Lady Falcons, compared to just 17 miscues by SAC. The Lady Trojans also struggled shooting from the floor, connecting on just 13-of-50 field goal attempts (26.0 percent).
"We just didn't shoot the ball well," said VSU head coach Shae Johnson. "And the 26 turnovers didn't help our situation."
SAC advances to play Shaw University, winners of this season's CIAA Eastern Division regular season title and three-time defending tournament champions, on Tuesday (Feb. 28) at 9 p.m.
