St. Aug's women win first-round CIAA game

College Basketball

St. Aug's women win first-round CIAA game

Feb 25, 2009

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CHARLOTTE - St. Augustine's College took care of business Tuesday night against Elizabeth City State University just like the previous two regular-season games.

The Lady Falcons beat the top offensive rebounding team on the boards, and played strong defense to stop the Vikings 86-58 in the first round of the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena. With the victory, the No. 7 seed Lady Falcons (14-13 overall) advance to Wednesday's quarterfinals, where they face No. 2 seed Fayetteville State at 5 p.m. The Vikings, the 10th seed, end their season at 6-22.

The Falcons won all three meetings against the Vikings this season, all by double-digit margins including a 32-point victory on Feb. 12.

On Tuesday, the Falcons dominated the first half and held off a mild Viking rally in the second half to claim their first tournament win under first-year head coach Margaret Richards.

The Falcons, tops in the CIAA in field-goal percentage defense and three-point field goal percentage defense, played true to form. They limited the Vikings to 36 percent shooting from the floor.

The Falcons also beat the Vikings at what they do best - offensive rebounding. The Falcons won the rebounding battle 59-32 including 25-10 on the offensive boards in addition to forcing 32 turnovers. The Vikings are the No. 1 team in the CIAA in offensive rebounds.

Allison Sikes had 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead five double-figure scorers for the Falcons, who outscored the Vikings 46-30 in the paint and 26-7 on second-chance points. Whitney Griffis added 13 points and 8 rebounds, Keyona Bryant chipped in 12 points, LeKiesha White had 11 points and Dierra Washington contributed 10 points.

Kearah Jefferys scored 17 points and Ashley Anderson and April Whitaker both had 10 points for the Vikings, who trailed the entire night.