On day two of the 2025 CIAA Basketball Tournament, half of the semifinal rounds in each bracket, including each of the reigning conference champions, have been set.
Here are the results from every game on day two of the 2025 CIAA Basketball Tournament.
Men
Johnson C. Smith 83, Elizabeth City State 75
MVP of the Game: Johnson C. Smith F Jamuri Bryant
For the first time since 2020, the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls came out on the winning side of a CIAA tournament game, beating Elizabeth City State 83-75.
Javon Anderson was the Golden Bulls’ leading scorer with 17 points, knocking in four of his six attempts from three-point range.
Jamuri Bryant recorded a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, while Ashton Sherrell had 14 points, 10 rebounds, and five assists.
Elizabeth City State forward Dericko Williams paced the team with 21 points and 13 rebounds (both game-highs), while Jaquantae Harris had 17 points and four rebounds.
@AntwainBanks32 💛💙🎥 https://t.co/CvcpyALDzd
— Johnson C. Smith U. (@JCSUniversity) February 26, 2025
This was a game of runs, beginning with the Golden Bulls jumping out to a 10-3 lead in the first four minutes.
The Vikings responded with a 14-5 run to take their first lead, which would eventually grow to a 10-point lead with 6:19 remaining in the half.
Johnson C. Smith got the final say in the first half, scoring eight unanswered to enter the second half only trailing by two points.
That run gave the Golden Bulls the momentum they needed entering the second half, going on to build an 11-point lead, fighting off the Vikings for the victory.
Lincoln (PA) 58, Winston-Salem State 42
MVP of the Game: Lincoln (PA) F Peter Sorber
Reigning CIAA champion Lincoln (PA) began their quest to repeat with a 54-42 win over Winston-Salem State.
Last year’s CIAA Tournament MVP Peter Sorber led the way for the Lions with 16 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Reggie Hudson matched Sorber’s 16 points while also grabbing seven rebounds.
Winston-Salem State center Abou Camara had a strong defensive performance, grabbing 14 rebounds, swatting two shots, and snatching a steal.
Lincoln (PA)’s aggressive defensive and relentless pursuit of the ball posed problems for Winston-Salem State in the first half.
The Lions forced 11 Ram turnovers that they converted to 14 points, including eight of their first 10 points.
However, after Lincoln took a 28-13 lead with 3:05 left in the first half, the Rams responded with a 13-2 run that trimmed their deficit to four points.
Feeling the pressure from WSSU, the Lions began running a full-court press, coinciding with an 8-2 run over the next three minutes.
This was enough separation for Lincoln to cruise to the finish line and advance to the next round.
Virginia State 78, Bowie State 72
MVP of the Game: Virginia State F Jared White
Virginia State dug down deep to fight off a late Bowie State rally, coming away with a 78-72 win to advance to the semifinals.
Despite only making two shots from the field, Jacob Cooper still ended with a team-high 15 points, connecting on 11-of-12 free throws. Jared White had 13 points for the Trojans, connecting on all three of his three-point attempts.
Elijah Davis scored a game-high 25 points, while Justin Morrisey had 18 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks.
Bowie State began the game aggressively on offense, jumping out to a 15-8 lead in the game’s first seven minutes.
Needing a spark on offense, the Trojans turned to their second unit, helping lead to a 21-4 run over the next eight minutes, taking a 29-19 advantage with 5:05 to go in the first half.
Entering the second half trailing 37-28, the Bulldogs’ energy began to ratchet up and slowly began creeping back into the game.
The Bulldogs used a full-court press, which allowed them to force turnovers and attack the offensive glass, leading to a 15-6 advantage in second-chance points.
Although the game came within a two-point margin in the final minute, Virginia State converted its free throw attempts down the stretch to ice the game.
Fayetteville State 69, Virginia Union 66
MVP of the Game: Fayetteville State G Tairell Fletcher
In the most competitive game of the day, the CIAA South Division champion Fayetteville State Broncos survived a battle with the Virginia Union Panthers, winning 69-66.
Fayetteville State guard Tairell Fletcher produced 21 points, six assists, and four rebounds, while Ezekiel Cannedy scored 14 points, including three three-pointers.
CIAA Rookie of the Year Bobby Gardner topped the Panthers with 24 points and five rebounds, followed by Jonathan King, who had 22 points and six rebounds.
The only game of the day that did not see a team take a double-digit lead was this one, which featured 16 lead changes. Neither team led by more than six points.
With 45 seconds remaining, Gardner drove in for a layup to tie the game at 66. After calling a timeout with 30 seconds left, Fayetteville State responded with a go-ahead layup by Mysta Goodloe (his only field goal of the game) to take a 68-66 lead.
On the Panthers’ ensuing possession, King drove the ball in the lane, drawing a foul, sending him to the foul line with a chance to tie the game.
However, he missed the first free throw, and the team could not grab the rebound after intentionally missing the second, sealing the Broncos’ win.
Women
Virginia State 67, Lincoln (PA) 59
MVP of the Game: Virginia State F Amesha Miller
The Virginia State Trojans became the first women’s team to punch their ticket to the semifinal round, overcoming a cold spell to begin the fourth quarter to escape with a 67-59 win over the Lincoln (PA) Lions.
Amesha Miller was the game’s top performer, scoring 34 points on 60% shooting from the field and grabbing 12 rebounds.
Kaziah Akinniyi led the Lions with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Anyssa Fields posted a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Ciani Montgomery recorded 13 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Miller set the tone for the Trojans early, scoring eight of the team’s first 10 points as the team built a 12-point first-quarter lead.
Today, our Women’s Basketball team advanced to the semi-finals of the 2025 CIAA Tournament with a 67-59 victory over Lincoln University. Our Trojans will play again on Friday.#GreaterHappensHere pic.twitter.com/l8efFjahcN
— Virginia State University (@VSU_1882) February 27, 2025
Virginia State’s defense overwhelmed Lincoln in the first half, forcing eight steals (four in each quarter), including three by Harris.
As the first half came to a close, a brief 6-0 run got the Lions within four before entering the second stanza trailing 31-25.
The Lions continued to battle, eventually tying the game in the fourth quarter after the Trojans missed their first six shots of the period.
However, Lincoln could not do enough to capture the lead; the Trojans outlasted them to the finish, having not surrendered the lead all contest.
Fayetteville State 72, Bluefield State 54
MVP of the Game: Fayetteville State F Nyah Wilkins
The reigning CIAA women’s champion, Fayetteville State, breezed into the semifinal round with a 72-54 win over Bluefield State.
Nyah Wilkins was the Broncos leading scorer with 12 points on 67% shooting, six rebounds, and two steals. Former CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Morgan Graham made her presence felt on the defensive end, patrolling the paint with five blocked shots.
After getting their scoring going from the free-throw line, accounting for five of their first eight points, the Broncos got going from the field to end the first quarter with a nine-point lead.
Following a positive second quarter from the Big Blue, in which they moved to within Fayetteville State took complete control of the game in the third quarter.
Bluefield State missed its first 10 shots of the period and committed seven turnovers, which resulted in 11 points for the Broncos.
This was too much for the Big Blue to overcome. They fell behind by as many as 23 points before succumbing to the defending champions.
