Boxtorow Blog

Shaw Lady Bears win first-ever National Championship

By Donal Ware
Boxtorow.com

SAN ANTONIO, Tex. – And then there was one.

The Shaw Lady Bears came back from an 11-point halftime deficit to claim an 88-82 overtime victory over No. 2 ranked Ashland in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game to claim Shaw’s first national championship in any sport.

“This is what Coach recruited us for,” said Shaw senior center Aslea Williams.  “I wasn’t going to finish my senior year with a loss. Even when I didn’t play well, my teammates had my back.”

The Lady Bears got off to a quick start, but soon fell behind and trailed 43-32 at halftime.

“We weren’t that concerned that we were down by 11 at the half,” said Curtis.  “We knew we hadn’t played our best, but we felt good and had a lot of energy.  We felt we could wear them down.

“We had to make sure we could still see them,” said Curtis.  “They had a chance to put us away in the first, but didn’t take advantage of it.  We felt a close ballgame was to our advantage.”

Shaw jumped on top 8-2 early, but Ashland made an 11-2 run to claim a 13-10 lead with 13:56 left in the half.

The Eagles shot 50 percent from the field in the first half.  Jena Stutzman’s three-pointer with 54 seconds left in the first gave Ashland their largest lead of the game, 43-29.   The Eagles had a chance to go up by 15 points towards the end of the first half, but a steal by Williams and Brittany Ransom’s layup pulled the Lady Bears to within 43-32 at halftime.

Sequoyah Griffin, who had already collected 10 points in the first half, helped key a scoring run to start the second half.   With 16:16 left in the game, Griffin hit a three that cut the Eagle lead to only four at 45-41.

Off a Buford missed shot, Williams got the rebound missed two put backs before finally converting and pulling Shaw within 45-43.

Stutzman hit another three-pointer with 15:23 left in the second half to extend Ashland’s lead 48-43.

But the Lady Bears were not done.

Down 50-45, Griffin hit a jumper and Ransom hit a three to tie the game at 50.  The two teams exchanged buckets to tie the score at 52, then – off of one of Alyssa Lane’s six steals – Harris sank a short jumper that gave the Lady Bears their first lead since early in the game.

The two teams exchanged buckets for another six minutes, but the Eagles got a layup from Stutzman and a three from Lindsay Tenyak to give them a five-point lead.  Griffin responded with four straight points, then Williams’ jumper gave the Lady Bears the lead 70-69.

With 25 seconds left in regulation, Williams hit a layup that gave Shaw a 72-69 lead, but with six seconds left, Stutzman hit a 30-foot three pointer from the top of the key with 4.9 seconds remaining tied the game at 72-72.

Griffin’s three-pointer at the buzzer fell short and the game went into overtime.

By this time, the Lady Bears had worn the Eagles down and were much fresher in the overtime period.

Griffin opened the extra period with a jumper and Williams hit a layup and free throw to give the Lady Bears a 77-72 lead.

With 2:11 left in overtime, Spencer hit a layup to give Shaw a 79-72 lead.  Ashland was forced to foul and in the closing minutes, Shaw hit seven of eight free throws.

“It’s a surreal feeling right now,” said senior forward Kyria Buford.  “After all we’ve gone through, it just feels unreal.”

Shaw committed only eight turnovers, while forcing the Eagles into 21 miscues.

Shaw finishes the season with a 29-6 mark, including a 15-game winning streak and winning 26 of their last 27.  Ashland had their 33-game winning streak snapped and finish the season 33-2.

Griffin led Shaw with 24 points on 10-for-15 shooting.  Spencer added 16 points and led Shaw with seven assists.  Both Ransom and Williams had 14 points with Williams also garnering 11 rebounds.  Buford added 10 points, eight rebounds and three blocks.

Stutzman led Ashland with 32 points.  Kari Daugherty added 24 and Alyssa Miller had 12.

Shaw becomes the first women’s HBCU to win an NCAA National Championship since Hampton won in 1988.

Boxtorow host Donal Ware previews the 2012 CIAA Tournament http://hiphopnc.com/hbcu-extras/spruitt/previewing-the-2012-ciaa-tournament/ (copy and paste URL)

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. The show also airs Friday from 1-2p ET on H.U.R. Voices SiriusXM Channel 141. On August 20, 2011, FTPBTPR celebrated 6 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2011.

Boxtorow host Donal Ware examines the similarities and differences between the ’02 Shaw Bears CIAA and Final Four Championship team and the current team http://hiphopnc.com/hbcu-extras/spruitt/ten-years-later-bears-basketball-is-making-history/#more-4859912

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. The show also airs Friday from 1-2p ET on H.U.R. Voices SiriusXM Channel 141. On August 20, 2011, FTPBTPR celebrated 6 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2011.

Atlanta – Once again we had another exciting HBCU All-Star Bowl. First and foremost the HBCU All-Star Bowl Committee does an outstanding job with the event. The players are treated in a first-class manner the entire week, which includes a combine conducted by NFL scouts on Tuesday to a financial literacy seminar, etc. It is indeed a first-class event and it would be nice to see that reflected in the stands and through sponsorships.

Twenty-nine of the 32 NFL teams were represented during the week and all of the Canadian Football League teams were represented.

The East defeated the West for the third-straight year, 23-13.

With CFL coaches serving as coaches for the East and West All-Stars, I thought it may be more of a wide open game. (Actually both of the coaches are defensive coordinators; Chris Jones of the Calgary Stampeders and Tim Tibesar of the Montreal Allouettes.) On Saturday during media day, Bethune-Cookman defensive end Ryan Davis said this would be a defensive game, one to his liking, and he was right. He was certainly one of the stars on defense with two sacks on West quarterbacks, including the sack of Albany State’s Stanley Jennings that ended the game. I’m sure Norfolk State quarterback Chris Walley was glad that Davis was on his team in this game.

Speaking of Walley, he was having a solid game, until he twisted his knew trying to avoid a sack in the second quarter. He finished 5-of-9 for 79 yards and hooked up with Howard wide receiver Willie Carter for a nice pass and catch on the opening drive for the East that stalled and led to a 46-yard field goal by Trevor Scott of Florida A&M. Carter was very impressive in the game and I would vote him the offensive MVP as he had four catches for 76 yards. Scott was 3-of-3 on field goals, making two from 46 yards.

The East had more of a balanced attack as they ran the ball 32 times and passed 29. Delaware State’s Jaashawn Jones was the workhorse and was solid with nine carries for 50 yards. Savannah State’s Justin Babb, who for the last couple of years has been one of the more underrated running backs in HBCU Football because SSU was not in a conference, got some work with seven carries for only 10 yards, but had the biggest and most exciting play of the day, when Alcorn State’s Arturo Tamayo’s 55-yard field goal attempt fell short and Babb caught it five yards deep in the end zone and took it back down the left sideline for a touchdown, bulling his way inside the left pylon as a West defender tried to tackle him at the last minute. That was with nine seconds left in the third quarter and gave the East a 20-10 lead.

As is typical in the SWAC and SIAC, it was more of an air it out style. I was disappointed that Jackson State quarterback Casey Therriault did not play in the game nor did Prairie View A&M defensive end Adrian Hamilton who leads the nation with 20.5 sacks. Albany State quarterback Stanley Jennings did get a majority of the work. He was 13-of-30 (43 percent) for 170 yards. He has a really strong arm and is a very nimble runner, but similar to his regular season numbers (49 percent completion) he completed less than 50 percent of his passes.

I would like to have seen more of Kentucky State quarterback Jared Nolan. He has a great arm as well, hooking up on the West’s opening drive with Morehouse’s Derrick Hector for a 54-yard pass play. Nolan played a handful of series and was 5-of-12 for 110 yards with one touchdown and one interception. Hector (3 rec. 66 yards), Mississippi Valley State’s Paul Cox (3 rec. 63 yards), Alabama State’s Nick Andrews (3 rec. 46 yards) and Fort Valley State’s Demario Barber (3 rec. 24 yards 1 TD) all had solid performances.

Last year it was a player from Southern that was impressive defensively. Jordan Miller, who is now on the Chicago Bears practice squad, had a great game last year. Linebacker Jamie Payton was all over the field in this game, making tackle after tackle. Alabama State’s Kynjee Cotton (five tackles) had a strong game as did teammate Donovan Masline. Can’t wait to see their teammates Kejuan Riley and Saeed Lee in next year’s game.

Finally a player who really impressed throughout the week and had a great game was Fort Valley State punter Marquette King. King averaged 43.7 yards per punt and had a long of 65. Scouts really like his hang time and with continued work has a legitimate shot to play in the NFL.

That was the last game of the football season. As for 2012: “Can’t wait!”

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. The show also airs Friday from 1-2p ET on H.U.R. Voices SiriusXM Channel 141. On August 20, 2011, FTPBTPR celebrated 6 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2011.

For the first time in a couple of years the two best teams in the CIAA will play for the football championship.

Winston-Salem State and Elizabeth City State will meet on Saturday at Durham County Memorial Stadium. The WSSU Rams are 10-0 and ranked #1 in the Boxtorow National Media HBCU Football top 10 poll, while the ECSU Vikings are 8-2, with their only CIAA loss of the season coming against the Rams 22-17 back on September 3.

There are quite a few storylines in this matchup. The obvious being a rematch from that close September 3 affair. Will the third time be the charm for the Vikings who lost to North Carolina Central in 2006 and Shaw in 2008?

But if you look a little closer, you’ll notice that arguably the two best running backs the last two years – definitely this year – are going head-to-head.

ECSU back Daronte McNeill was named the CIAA Offensive Player of the Year as voted for by the coaches. The 6-2, 215-pound junior from Elizabeth City has been the workhorse for the Vikings. He’s carried the ball 308 times for 1,435 yards and 20 touchdowns. That’s 120 more carries than the next back, which happens to be Rams running back Nic Cooper. Six times he has rushed for over 100 yards in a game. He accounts for 46 percent of the team’s offensive plays and 42 percent of the team’s total offense.

Wow!

Cooper, a first team All-CIAA selection for the second-straight season, while having significantly less carries, rushed for 1,299 yards, 14 touchdowns and averaged an astonishing 6.9 yards per carry. The 6-0, 245-pound senior from Clinton had seven games of 100 yards or more, including two with more than 200 yards.

Wow!

“He would have rushed for 1,800 yards,” said Rams head coach Connell Maynor. “He just doesn’t have the carries that [McNeill] has. Nic didn’t play in five quarters because of the big leads we had in the fourth quarter. It’s not all about Nic Cooper it’s about the team and we are going to do what’s best for the team.”

And these are two excellent football teams with outstanding personnel. The Rams general is former Garner star Kameron Smith, a first team All-CIAA performer. Smith is completing 58.5 percent of his passes for 1,925 yards with 27 touchdowns and 7 interceptions. Eighteen different receivers have caught passes. Defensively the Rams are led by CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, defensive back Alton Keaton. The Fayetteville native racked up 78 tackles (54 solo), 11 tackles for loss, two interceptions and three pass breakups.

As for Elizabeth City State they have a pair of outstanding defensive ends in John and Brad Davis (no relation). The duo registered 11 sacks apiece, while totaling 31.5 tackles for loss.

The teams are 1-2 in most major statistical categories. The Vikings have a capable pass game, led by senior quarterback Creven Powell, but they choose not to use it as much and are next to last in the conference in passing yards. WSSU is susceptible to the pass ranking near the bottom of the league in pass defense.

“I think this is a true CIAA championship, nobody had to backdoor into it,” said CIAA Commissioner Leon Kerry. “I don’t think you’ll see a better game.”

Check out Boxtorow’s 5th annual Countdown to the CIAA Championship Game Saturday from 12:30 – 1 p.m. by logging onto www.boxtorow.com and listening online or finding out which radio stations across the state will carry the programs.

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. On August 20, 2011, FTPBTPR celebrated 6 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2011.

Boxtorow host Donal Ware takes a look at the Shaw/Duke exhibition and what it means for Shaw men’s basketball moving forward http://hiphopnc.com/hbcu-extras/spruitt/a-good-night-at-cameron-for-duke-shaw/#more-4762172 (copy and past url)

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. On August 20, 2011, FTPBTPR celebrated 6 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2011.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/9897273/ (Copy and paste url)

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. On August 20, 2010, FTPBTPR celebrated 5 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2010.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/9633397/

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET. On August 20, 2010, FTPBTPR celebrated 5 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk. August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2010.

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/9555571/ (copy and paste url)
Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET.  On August 20, 2010, FTPBTPR celebrated 5 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk.  August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2010.

This column was written prior to Shaw winning the NCAA Atlantic Regional over Bluefield State.  http://www.wralsportsfan.com/voices/blogpost/9533384/

Donal Ware is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW that can be heard on radio stations around the country. Click the following link http://boxtorow.com/affiliates.php to find out which station in your locale carries the show or go to www.boxtorow.com and click on the listen live link Saturdays from 1 – 2 p.m. ET.  On August 20, 2010, FTPBTPR celebrated 5 years of the best of HBCU Sports talk and pro sports talk.  August 20, 2005 – August 20, 2010.