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58 thAnnual CIAA Basketball Tournament
Panthers Hang On to Advance to CIAA Finals
FEBRUARY 28, 2003, Raleigh, NC---Patrick Pope did all
he could to resurrect the hopes of his St. Augustine’s College team
after they trailed 39-21 at halftime.
Pope was just 1-of-8 from the field in the opening half, but the 2003
CIAA Player of the Year scored 41of his game-high 46 points in the second
half, playing the last 15:21 with four fouls. His 3-pointer from just
inside the half-court line as time expired was not enough, however, as
the Virginia Union University Panthers hung on for the 82-81 nail-biting
win.
Duan Crockett stood at the line with 2.5 seconds left with the Panthers
nursing a 81-78 lead. After missing the first attempt, Crockett calmly
swished the second to give the Panthers the winning point.
“We feel very fortunate to be here,” said Panthers’
coach Dave Robbins. “In my 25 years I’ve never seen a performance
like that that of Patrick Pope. We bent but didn’t break,”
he added.
Crockett was the thorn in the Falcons’ side as he led the Panthers
with 15 points, 16 rebounds and six steals.
The Panthers (17-9) led 77-70 after a Ralph Brown tip-in with 25 seconds
left in the game, but the Falcons still refused to die.
Kevin Jolley made a layup to cut the lead to 77-72 before Brown hit 1-of-2
free throws to make the lead 78-72. Pope was fouled on a 3-point attempt
with 11 seconds left but could only sink two free throws, cutting the
lead to 78-74.
Two more free throws from Brown made the lead 80-74, but Pope was still
not giving up. He drilled another trey, making the score 80-77 with two
seconds left, setting up the final stages.
“I gave everything I had so I have nothing to be ashamed about,”
said Pope, who played his final game for the Falcons.
Giving Pope help were Desmond Peoples with 12 points and Louini Frazer
with 10 rebounds.
The Panthers, seeded No. 1 in the Eastern Division, started the game by
outscoring the Falcons (18-8) 10-2. When the Falcons cut the lead to 12-7,
the Panthers responded by outscoring them 8-0. A 14-0 run moments later
would give the Panthers their biggest lead of the game at 34-11 with 7:02
left in the first half.
The Falcons battled back in the second half behind the shooting of Pope,
who hit four of his first six shots in the second half while the Falcons
cut the lead to 43-33 with just over 17 minutes left in the game.
Point guard Luqman Jaaber had 12 of his 17 points in the first half, and
drained a 3-pointer to give the Panthers a 46-33 lead.
When Pope picked up his fourth foul with 15:21 left in the game, things
looked dire for the Falcons. Falcons head coach Thomas Hargrove took a
chance and left Pope in the game and his layup at the 8:42 mark cut the
lead to 58-48.
Defensively, the Panthers held the Falcons to 19 percent shooting in the
first half, helped by the presence in the middle of Wayne Wallace and
Spencer Alston, who had three and two blocked shots, respectively. Wallace
would finish the game with 20 points and four blocks.
The championship game pits old school tradition against the new kids on
the block. The Panthers have 14 CIAA championships in 19 tries while their
opponent, the Bowie State University Bulldogs, will be making their first
trip to the finals. Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. Saturday night.