For the second year in a row, the Fayetteville State Broncos are the CIAA women’s basketball champions.
The Broncos won the CIAA title game on Saturday, 64-56, over the Virginia State Trojans.
FSU becomes the first CIAA women’s basketball team to repeat as conference champions since Virginia Union did so in 2019.
Talia Trotter filled the stat sheet, recording a full line of 15 points, six rebounds, four assists, three steals, and three blocks. Keayna McLaughlin matched her 15 points, adding eight rebounds and three steals.
McLaughlin was also named CIAA Tournament MVP, averaging 11.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 1.7 steals in the team’s three-game run.
Amesha Miller led the Trojans with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and two blocks. CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Carmen Kweti patrolled the boards, grabbing 17 rebounds.
.@Fsubroncos_wbb successfully defends its CIAA Championship with 64-56 win over Virginia St.
Keayna McLaughlin named MVP with 15 points and 8 boards pic.twitter.com/Z2AJByQgaR
— HBCUGO.TV (@HBCUGoTV) March 1, 2025
Road to a championship
Fayetteville State finished the regular season claiming its third straight CIAA South division title.
They had an 18-7 overall record during the year, including a 13-3 record against the CIAA. The Broncos entered the CIAA tournament, having won their last six regular-season contests.
With an automatic bye to the quarterfinals, the Broncos cruised to the next round following a 72-54 win over Bluefield State.
In the semifinals, FSU dispatched Virginia Union 62-53, keeping its hopes of repeating as conference champions alive.
Virginia State’s road to the CIAA championship game included winning its first CIAA North division championship since 2014.
They put up a 21-5 overall record (the best in the CIAA during the regular season), leading to head coach Nadine Domond being named CIAA Coach of the Year.
The Trojans’ tournament run began in the quarterfinals against Lincoln (PA), where they secured a 67-59 wire-to-wire win.
They clinched a spot in the championship game, outdueling Bowie State in the final quarter to win 63-59.
’Unfinished business’
Both teams started the game running a 2-3 zone on defense, with the Broncos striking first, moving the ball effectively to establish a presence in the paint.
Although both teams struggled from the field in the opening quarter, they stuck to their game plans, continuing to find and take good looks.
This paid off for the Broncos in the second quarter as they got hot from three-point range, hitting six in the period to take a 15-point lead into the half.
In addition to struggling from the field, the Trojans also committed six turnovers in the second quarter (nine in the first half).
Despite facing a double-digit deficit entering the second half, Coach Domond remained confident in her team’s game plan.
“In the second half, we just made up in our mind, ‘let’s get to our matchups, let’s execute. Let’s be who we are and be what’s our identity.’ Once we were able to get comfortable and in the flow of it, that’s when we were able to start moving the ball and start doing the things we’ve been doing all year.”
This worked out for the Trojans in the third quarter, eventually trimming their deficit to 41-32 with 4:49 remaining in the period.
In response, Fayetteville State became more aggressive on offense, driving the ball into the lane. This paid dividends for the Broncos in the second half, as they drew 26 fouls and took 22 free throws (they took just four free throws in the first half).
According to Coach Domond, the Broncos’ advantage over them at the free-throw line (Virginia State finished the game with 16 free-throw attempts) would prove to be the difference maker.
While Virginia State awaits word on whether it will be selected to the NCAA Division II Basketball Tournament, Fayetteville State will look to build on its historic run last season.
In their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2010 (the 2020 tournament appearance was canceled due to COVID-19), the Broncos advanced to the Regional Final before being upended in the Atlantic Regional Final against Gannon.
Fayetteville State head coach Tyreece Brown believes his team’s playoff experience last season will help them pursue a National Championship this year.
“We got unfinished business, and now we know what to expect,” said Coach Brown. “I compare it to running cross country for the first time. You don’t really know what running three miles is like, so we got up on that mountain and we were just exhausted. That first time you run cross country ain’t no joke. After about a mile, you look around like, ‘Oh, I’m done.’ After you run it the second time, you figure out how to pace yourself. So, that was a good learning lesson for us last year.”
The NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament Selection Show will air on NCAA.com on Sunday, March 9, at 10:30 p.m. ET.
