Although the Lady Bears were the favorite
coming into the game, Virginia Union (23-6) played aggressive, forced the
tempo, and showed signs of a team that was ready to pull off the upset.
The Lady Panthers took an early lead 17-16 on a jumper by Andrea Bellamy.
Unfortunately, this would be the last time Virginia Union would lead. Shaw
buckled down and started to match the Lady Panthers intensity.
Over the next five minutes the Lady Bears outscored Virginia Union 26-5,
highlighted by four three-pointes by Joy Hairston to make the score 42-23 with
a little over four minutes left before halftime.
“The game unfolded like we thought it would,” Shaw head coach Jacques
Curtis said. “We made adjustments and made a run.”
Shaw would cruise through rest of the half taking a 19-point lead (49-30) into
the intermission.
Kiarsha Curtis was the story of the first half, scoring 20 points and Hairston added 14 for the Lady Bears.
Danielle Hoggard, an ALL-CIAA selection, led the Lady Panthers 14 points and 7 rebounds.
Virginia Union could not keep pace with the Lady Bears, as they would continue to pour it on in the second half. With four minutes left on the clock, Bilisa Perkins nailed a three pointer, ballooning Shaw’s lead to 79-51, the largest lead of the game.
“Shaw, at least for tonight, was the
better team,” Virginia Union head coach Moses Golatt said. “They are an
outstanding team, but I’m proud of how far we’ve come.
Chrystal Baptist played well in the second half for Shaw, finishing with 10
points and 12 rebounds, 7 of which came on the offensive glass. Kiarsha Curtis
led the scoring attack with 22 and was named Tournament MVP, and Margiella
Mobley added 15 points and nine boards.
Hoggard had game-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds for Virginia Union and guard Shaaron Atkins netted 15 in the losing effort.
Shaw is currently the #1 seed in the South Atlantic Region and will play its next game on March 12 in the South Atlantic Regional.
Note: Guard Jessica Hawkins and Curtis were named to the 2004 CIAA All-Tournament team.
