RALEIGH - It was business as usual for Shaw Lady Bears as they won their third consecutive conference tournament championship title in convincing fashion with an 88-49 victory over Elizabeth City State in the finals of the 30th annual CIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament at RBC Center.

Shaw cruised through the tournament field with an 85-70 win over St. Augustine’s in the quarterfinals, an 86-44 victory over North Carolina Central in the semifinals, and Saturday night’s 39-point win over Elizabeth City State in the finals.

Shaw, the No. 2 team in the NCAA Division II with an overall record of 29-1, had four Lady Bears to score double figures. Senior Joy Hairston came off the bench to score a game-high 22 points and grab a team-best 11 rebounds, while senior Kiarsha Curtis, who was named Tournament MVP for the second-straight year, netted 21 points. Junior point guard Nastassia Boucicault recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 assists for the victors.

Elizabeth City State received a record-breaking performance from freshman Celeste Trahan with 12 points and a single-game tournament record 28 rebounds. Trahan breaks the old mark of 25 boards set by Lakisha Phifer of St. Paul’s during the 1999 tournament.

In the first half, Elizabeth City State was still within striking distance with the score 24-16 at 9:36, but Shaw went on a 22-4 tear to take a 46-20 lead at 3:52. A lay-up by Trahan with 19 seconds left in the first half got the deficit under 20 points, as Shaw took a 49-30 cushion into the locker room.

The game never got any closer in the second half, as Shaw finished the contest by outscoring the Lady Vikings 33-13.

“We knew Elizabeth City State would come out with a lot of intensity, so we had to be sure to match their intensity,” said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis. “We eventually took over as the game wore on.”