March 10, 2006
SHAW DEFEATS NCCU
TO ADVANCE TO REGIONAL TITLE GAME
RALEIGH, NC – Shaw University dominated the offensive glass and had five Lady Bears score double figures during an 80-65 victory over conference foe North Carolina Central University in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region playoffs inside Spaulding Gymnasium in Raleigh, N.C. Saturday night.
Shaw (28-4) grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to just nine for NCCU, providing the victors with 26 second-chance points. The host Lady Bears also forced 25 turnovers compared to just 15 of their own.
Senior sharp-shooter Carletta Harrell netted a game-high 16 points, including four three-point field goals, to pace the Lady Bears. CIAA Player of the Year Nastassia Boucicault added 13 points and six assists, senior guard Jenna Bradford and sophomore Erika Bailey contributed 12 points each, and sophomore Nicky Souter collected 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
NCCU (23-7) was topped by junior forward Cassie King with 14 points. Senior forward Lisa Richardson scored 13 points for the Lady Eagles, followed by rookie forward Nakisha Stewart with 12 points and a game-high nine boards. NCCU senior point guard Porschia Holmes distributed seven assists to push her single-season school record to 155 assists.
Shaw will play in its third regional championship game in the last four years on Monday at 7 p.m., when the Lady Bears attempt to defend their regional title against Wingate University inside Spaulding Gymnasium, where Shaw has won 50 straight contests.
Shaw jumped out to a five-point lead in the first five minutes of the highly anticipated contest. With less than eight minutes left in the first half, NCCU posted a 12-5 run to take a 26-24 advantage after a pair of free throws by Richardson with 2:47 on the clock.
The Lady Bears responded by scoring eight unanswered points to close out the first stanza and take a 32-26 cushion into the locker room.
Shaw quickly pushed the lead to 11 points (39-28) after Harrell’s second triple in the opening two minutes of the second half. NCCU then narrowed the gap to 39-33 on a three-pointer by freshman guard Tonia Roundtree at 17:08, but that was as close as the Lady Eagles would get the rest of the way. Shaw’s largest lead was the final score.
Shaw extends its win streak to 25 games, and has now won 77 consecutive games against CIAA opponents.
NCCU ends its third best season in school history (23 wins), and is now 4-3 in its NCAA appearances under head coach Joli Robinson. All three of those Lady Eagle losses in the NCAA postseason have come against the tournament host and No. 1 seed.
SHAW DEFEATS NCCU
TO ADVANCE TO REGIONAL TITLE GAME
RALEIGH, NC – Shaw University dominated the offensive glass and had five Lady Bears score double figures during an 80-65 victory over conference foe North Carolina Central University in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region playoffs inside Spaulding Gymnasium in Raleigh, N.C. Saturday night.
Shaw (28-4) grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to just nine for NCCU, providing the victors with 26 second-chance points. The host Lady Bears also forced 25 turnovers compared to just 15 of their own.
Senior sharp-shooter Carletta Harrell netted a game-high 16 points, including four three-point field goals, to pace the Lady Bears. CIAA Player of the Year Nastassia Boucicault added 13 points and six assists, senior guard Jenna Bradford and sophomore Erika Bailey contributed 12 points each, and sophomore Nicky Souter collected 10 points and a team-best eight rebounds.
NCCU (23-7) was topped by junior forward Cassie King with 14 points. Senior forward Lisa Richardson scored 13 points for the Lady Eagles, followed by rookie forward Nakisha Stewart with 12 points and a game-high nine boards. NCCU senior point guard Porschia Holmes distributed seven assists to push her single-season school record to 155 assists.
Shaw will play in its third regional championship game in the last four years on Monday at 7 p.m., when the Lady Bears attempt to defend their regional title against Wingate University inside Spaulding Gymnasium, where Shaw has won 50 straight contests.
Shaw jumped out to a five-point lead in the first five minutes of the highly anticipated contest. With less than eight minutes left in the first half, NCCU posted a 12-5 run to take a 26-24 advantage after a pair of free throws by Richardson with 2:47 on the clock.
The Lady Bears responded by scoring eight unanswered points to close out the first stanza and take a 32-26 cushion into the locker room.
Shaw quickly pushed the lead to 11 points (39-28) after Harrell’s second triple in the opening two minutes of the second half. NCCU then narrowed the gap to 39-33 on a three-pointer by freshman guard Tonia Roundtree at 17:08, but that was as close as the Lady Eagles would get the rest of the way. Shaw’s largest lead was the final score.
Shaw extends its win streak to 25 games, and has now won 77 consecutive games against CIAA opponents.
NCCU ends its third best season in school history (23 wins), and is now 4-3 in its NCAA appearances under head coach Joli Robinson. All three of those Lady Eagle losses in the NCAA postseason have come against the tournament host and No. 1 seed.
