No. 10 Virginia Union upends No. 7 Elizabeth City State In Opening Game
February 25, 2008
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.
