SAU Women’s Basketball Win Capital Classic This Weekend; Shaw Goes 2-0

RALEIGH, NC – The Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) women’s basketball team hosted the Capital Classic at Emery Gymnasium this weekend. The two-day doubleheader took place Friday, Nov. 19, and Saturday, Nov. 20. The teams participating were Virginia-Lynchburg and local universities Shaw and William Peace in addition to SAU.

Students and spectators were required to provide COVID-19 vaccination proof and wear a mask upon entering Emery Gymnasium. Temperature checks were required and there was a limited seating capacity of 375.

Friday, Nov. 19

SAU Women’s Basketball Routs William Peace For Season’s First Win

Saint Augustine’s University (SAU) pulled away in the second half to defeat William Peace 81-55 in the Capital Classic women’s basketball doubleheader at Emery Gymnasium on Friday. The win is the first for SAU under first-year Head Coach Ebony Tanner.

The victory is also the first of the season for the Lady Falcons (1-2 overall), who outscored the Pacers 42-27 in the second half after leading by 11 points at halftime.

Every player scored for the Lady Falcons. Vernisha Robin (Jr./Miami, FL) led a balanced attack with 14 points and Nysia Bradford (Sr./Syracuse, NY) added 10 points.

Raquel Cassidy (Jr./Gainesville, FL) and Ariyanna Brown (Jr./Charlotte, NC) each scored nine points and Taniyah Greene (Fr./Cheltenham, MD) nearly had a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds. Lauren Banks (Fr./Clinton, MD) finished with seven points and three steals.

Robin scored 11 points in the second half as the Lady Falcons pulled away from a 39-28 halftime lead.

The Lady Falcons outrebounded the Pacers 52-36 which led to a 25-7 advantage in second-chance points and a 14-6 edge in fast break points. Their harassing defense forced 32 William Peace turnovers as they recorded 16 steals.

Nautica Falls was the top scorer for William Peace (1-2 overall) with 11 points.

 

Second Half Dominance Puts Lady Bears Past Dragons

The Shaw University Lady Bears used a strong second half along with a boost from the bench to pull away from the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons 84-54 on day one of the Capital Classic held in Emery Gymnasium Friday evening.

 With the win, Shaw improves its record to 1-3 overall while the Dragons fall to 1-3 equally.

 Makenzie Pollard got the Lady Bears on the board in the first 10 seconds collecting the opening tip and finishing the fast break chance. Tanayja London beat the shot clock to put Shaw ahead 9-2 forcing a quick VUL timeout. The Dragons responded after the break to cut the Lady Bears lead to 11-7 before Inari Jones added her second three-point basket making the score 14-7 with 4:30 left in the first quarter. VUL kept things close at the free-throw line cutting the Shaw lead to 17-15 before Taliyah Rahman beat the buzzer with a drive and score making the score 19-15 at the quarter break.

Shaw opened its lead to 24-18 to start the second stanza. Nyrobi Pillers split a pair of free throws making the score 27-22 with a little over six minutes left before the half. Back-to-back baskets from Ashley Rojas followed by Pillers made the score 33-24 with 2:45 left in the second quarter. Shaw pushed ahead 40-29 at the half with a three from Rojas.

Pillers connected on two baskets inside to begin the third quarter making the score 44-29. Pollard connected on a corner three after a timeout with 5:20 left in the third. Pollard fed Rojas on the break to extend the Lady Bears lead to 53-44 at the 2:45 mark.  Shaw went on to outscore VUL 22-8 in the quarter to post a 62-37 lead after three complete.

The Shaw onslaught continued as the Lady Bears lead ballooned to 75-42 with five minutes remaining in the game. The Lady Bears mirrored the third quarter scoring 22 points to race to the thirty-point victory.

Five Lady Bears finished in double figures with Rojas and Rahman leading the way with 15 points each followed by Pillers, Inari Jones, and London with 11 points. Pillers finished with a double-double collecting 10 rebounds. The Shaw bench outscored VUL 41-17 while also collecting 11 more second-chance points at 21-9.

Shaw returned to action in a quick turnaround as they faced William Peace University Saturday afternoon on day two of the Capital Classic. Shaw won that game 75-67. Shaw women’s basketball team will take on USC Aiken on Tuesday, Nov. 23 in Aiken, South Carolina. Tipoff is 6 p.m.

 

Saturday, Nov. 20

SAU Women’s Basketball Collects 26 Steals In Capital Classic Victory

Saint Augustine’s University collected 26 steals in an 85-51 women’s basketball victory over Virginia-Lynchburg in the Capital Classic at Emery Gymnasium on Saturday, Nov. 20. 

The Lady Falcons (2-2 overall) swept both games in the Capital Classic. They recorded 16 steals against William Peace in an 81-55 win on Friday, Nov. 19.  

Jada Swafford (Sr./Alexandria, LA) amassed five steals to go with 13 points, and Bre’cha Byrd (Fr./Surry County, VA) had five steals in addition to 10 rebounds. Milequa Eason (Sr./Woodland, NC) finished with four steals, and Destiny Byfield (Sr./Brooklyn, NY) and Nyasia Barnes (Sr./Bertie County, NC) had three steals apiece.  

Ariyanna Brown (Jr./Charlotte, NC) led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points including 4 of 5 three-pointers. Lauren Banks (Fr./Clinton, MD) scored 13 points and the trio of Nysia Bradford (Sr./Syracuse, NY), Danielle Rainey (Jr./Florence, SC), and Taniyah Greene (Fr./Cheltenham, MD) contributed six points for the Lady Falcons, who outscored the Dragons 25-7 in turnover points and 56-9 in bench points. 

Kendra Williams scored 13 points and Tenaya Carswell grabbed 14 rebounds for the Dragons (1-4 overall), who had 35 turnovers. 

The Lady Falcons are back on the court Wednesday, Nov. 24, against Edward Waters at Emery Gymnasium. Tipoff is 6 p.m.