CIAA basketball tournament roundup: Elizabeth City State women return to title game with 53-52 win over Johnson C. Smith

CIAA basketball tournament roundup: Elizabeth City State women return to title game with 53-52 win over Johnson C. Smith Elizabeth City State women’s basketball is back in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship, but the Vikings still aren’t satisfied. “We didn’t come back to get second,” coach Tynesha Lewis said. Elizabeth City State lost in the title game last season to Lincoln. Now, the fifth-seeded Vikings will play for the crown Saturday after beating No. 8 Johnson C. Smith, 53-52, at CFG Bank Arena on Friday. “We feel like it’s unfinished business for us,” said forward Jessica Adams, who transferred to the school this season. “Coming into this program where we know what happened last year, it just makes us that much more hungry.” Elizabeth City State (19-10) never trailed and led comfortably for most of the contest by holding Johnson C. Smith (13-16) to 24.5% shooting. But the Golden Bulls didn’t allow the game to get out of hand and nearly mounted a comeback in the final minutes. The Vikings led by nine going into the fourth quarter and by six with five minutes remaining, but All-CIAA stars Shaniya Jones (16 points) and La’Zarea Bowens (19 points, 13 rebounds) made key plays down the stretch to pull the Golden Bulls from Charlotte, North Carolina, within one point in the final minute. Jones’ step-back jumper in the final seconds bounced off the rim to end Johnson C. Smith’s tournament run. “Shaniya Jones and Bowens were just outstanding,” Lewis said. “But I’m so proud of our young ladies because we knew in the tournament it’s going to come down to a stop and a rebound, and they got that done.” NyAsia Blango was the hero for Elizabeth City State in its first two tournament games, as the junior guard who averaged just 7.8 points per game during the regular season carried the Vikings’ offense with 21 and 30 points in the first round and quarterfinals, respectively. The Vikings, however, didn’t need Blango’s scoring Friday, as it was Dy’Jhanik Armfield who carried the load with 20 points on 7-for-16 shooting with a trio of 3-pointers. Armfield led the team during the regular season with 10.7 points per game, but she scored 20 or more just twice in 25 games entering Friday. The junior guard scored six points in both of Elizabeth City State’s first two tournament contests. “[Armfield] can play. She can do it all, score at all three levels — finish at the rim, one-dribble pull-up, 3-point shot,” Lewis said. “I’m not surprised. She can do this any given night. I’ve got several players who can do this, which hopefully takes the pressure off them individually.” Johnson C. Smith's Alexis Daley-Ellis, right, is defended by Elizabeth City State’s Isa Banks in the first quarter of Friday's CIAA Tournament semifinal at CFG Bank Arena. Johnson C. Smith's Alexis Daley-Ellis, right, is defended by Elizabeth City State’s Isa Banks in the first quarter of Friday's CIAA Tournament semifinal at CFG Bank Arena. (Kevin Richardson / Baltimore Sun) The Vikings from Elizabeth City, North Carolina, entered the tournament with one of the league’s best defenses and most balanced offenses, with no player averaging more than 11 points per game. But now it’s the high-volume scorer — first Blango and now Armfield — that has the Vikings one win away from a CIAA championship. “Any of us can drop 20, 25, 30 points if we wanted to,” Armfield said. “It’s just about how we prepare mentally before we step on the court. … I was just really locked in today and went out there and hooped.” For Johnson C. Smith, the loss marks the end of an improbable tournament run. The Golden Bulls went 11-15 in the regular season and 6-10 against CIAA foes, but the talented squad beat No. 9 Virginia Union in the first round and upset No. 1 Fayetteville State in the quarterfinals. “It’s unfortunate, obviously, but I am proud of my teammates,” Jones said. “It is a tough loss, but it’s not really much we should hang our heads about.” Elizabeth City State will play the winner of No. 2 Lincoln and No. 6 Shaw in the championship Saturday at 4 p.m. No. 5 Elizabeth City State 53, No. 8 Johnson C. Smith 52 ECS — Armfield 20, Hashim 9, Banks 5, Nowlin 5, Kinney 4, Pitts 4, Blango 2, King 2, Adams 2. JCS — Bowens 19, Jones 16, Lane 8, Bagley 4, Reid 3, Bell 2. Halftime: 34-23, ECS. This story will be updated.