North Carolina Central University

WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

     CHARLOTTE, N.C. – North Carolina Central University used an explosive second half to cruise to a 75-41 victory over Virginia State University in the quarterfinals of the 32nd annual CIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament inside Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, N.C. on Tuesday night.
     NCCU (23-5) was sluggish, but in control of the game at halftime with a 30-23 advantage. The Lady Eagles, however, stormed out of the locker room and dominated the final 20 minutes of play. 
     After Virginia State’s Monique Mason made a basket to trim the deficit to 34-27 with 17:33 on the second half clock, NCCU went on a 14-0 tear, including eight straight points by rookie guard Jasmine Newkirk, for a 48-27 lead at 13:44. 
     Following a three-pointer by VSU’s Katania Walker just seconds later, NCCU scored 11 unanswered points to put the game out of reach at 59-30 with 9:36 left.
      “We are a young team and we came out a little nervous in our first tournament game,” said NCCU head coach Joli Robinson, the 2007 CIAA Coach of the Year. “In the second half, we relaxed and did what we needed to do to win the ballgame.
     “We were not playing good, solid defense in the first half,” Robinson added. “We switched defenses in the second half and that rattled them a lot and allowed us to be more active.”
     NCCU, which jumped two spots to No. 23 in the USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25 Coaches' Poll released Tuesday afternoon, has now won 16 straight games to tie the school record set back in 2000-01.
     Three Lady Eagles scored in double figures, topped by Newkirk’s 19-point performance. NCCU senior Cassie King collected 15 points, while sophomore transfer LaQuanda Williams added 14 points. Both Newkirk and Williams recorded five steals each, while CIAA Rookie of the Year Jori Nwachukwu contributed eight points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots.
     Virginia State (9-20) was topped by Mason with 16 points and Walker with 15 points.
     As a team, NCCU shot 57.6 percent (34-of-59) from the field, including a blistering 62.5 percent (20-of-32) in the second half, while holding the Lady Trojans to just 36.2 percent shooting (17-of-47) from the floor.
     NCCU advances to play Bowie State (18-10) in the tournament semifinals on Friday (March 2) at 1 p.m.