Shaw defeats Virginia State, 72-53 in CIAA Quarterfinals

Shaw defeats Virginia State, 72-53 in CIAA Quarterfinals

March 1, 2011

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After playing less than 24 hours earlier, Shaw showed no signs of fatigue in a 72-53 CIAA Tournament women's quarterfinal victory over Virginia State Tuesday at Time Warner Cable Arena.

Demaria Liles, a 6-1 forward, produced a double-double with 17 points and 14 rebounds for the Lady Bears (19-11), who scored 34 points off 31 VSU turnovers for the win. Jackie Sanders, a 6-3 forward, came off the bench to score 12 points while Kyria Buford and Brittney Spencer added 11 and 10 points, respectively for the Lady Bears, the No. 2 Southern Division seed. The Lady Bears advance to Friday's semifinal where they will play the Saint Augustine's College-Elizabeth City State winner at 1 p.m.

The Lady Bears were coming off a first-round victory Monday against Lincoln (Pa.) which started at 7 p.m. Despite beginning at 1 p.m. Tuesday, the Lady Bears had enough energy to dispatch the Lady Trojans. In the only meeting against VSU this season, the Lady Bears came up short 74-68 in overtime on Jan. 8. This time, the Lady Bears led mostly the entire way mainly because of Liles, a 6-1 forward, and Sanders, a 6-3 forward.

“Playing Virginia State is always a tight game,” Shaw Head Coach Jacques Curtis said. “They have the same type of players we have, we can get big and they can get big. It was a battle of the bigs and we came out on top.”

Betty Appiah scored 15 points and had nine rebounds to lead the Lady Trojans, the No. 3 Northern Division seed who ended their season at 18-9. Rhon'Niesha Taylor, the CIAA's scoring leader, added 11 points and 12 rebounds. Taylor scored seven straight points during an early VSU run that kept the Lady Trojans within striking distance after trailing by 12 points at halftime.

Down 39-34, the Lady Trojans were in position to make things really interesting, but the Lady Bears put their feet on the throttle as they often did when VSU got close. Spencer hit two free throws for a 53-39 lead with under 10 minutes left, and the Lady Bears steadily pulled away down the stretch, Liles, who hit a late three-point bank shot, was named Food Lion MVP of the game for the second day in a row.

The Lady Bears led almost the entire game with help from their trapping defense, which helped them overcome 35 percent shooting. The Lady Trojans compounded their woes by shooting 32 percent and making 9 of 15 free throws compared to 20 of 24 free throws  for the Lady Bears.

The Lady Trojans were careless in the early moments, committing six turnovers by the first media timeout. On the other end, Liles was virtually a one-person show. The University of Maryland transfer scored seven straight points on layups off crisp passes from teammates.

Liles cooled off but her teammates took over. Sanders' jumper gave the Lady Bears a 23-8 lead, capping a 14-0 run. The Lady Trojans then went on a run of their own. Appiah scored six points on layups during a 12-4 rally to pull the Lady Trojans within 27-20 late in the first half.

The Lady Trojans had chances to slice the deficit even more but missed three consecutive free throws. Seven points were as close as the Lady Trojans would get the rest of the first half. Brittany Ransom's three-pointer at the horn gave the Lady Bears a 36-24 halftime lead.

Liles scored seven points and corralled 10 rebounds in the first half for the Lady Bears, who shot 40 percent and was 3-for-12 from the three-point line. Sanders and Ransom each added six points while Aslea Williams and Spencer scored four points apiece.

Appiah scored 10 first-half points on 5 of 7 shooting for the Lady Trojans,who hurt themselves with 13 first-half turnovers and 32 percent shooting. Taylor added six points and five rebounds. The Lady Trojans were 0-for-6 from the three-point line and 2-for-7 at the free-throw line in the half.