FOR LIFE
Tournament Pairings
Women's Bracket
Men's Bracket
29thAnnual CIAA Women’s Basketball Tournament
Lady Bears Capture Title
March 1, 2003, Raleigh, NC---The Shaw University Lady
Bears (7-24) shot the lights out against the Johnson C. Smith Lady Golden
Bulls (19-11) to capture the 2003 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Women’s Basketball Championship.
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Tournament
MVP Naomi Mobley |
In what looked to be a close battle for the championship, quickly turned
in to a Lady Bears route. The teams traded baskets, exchanging the lead
four times. Neither team was able to run away with the lead, and a Margiella
Mobley lay-up off of a steal gave Shaw an early five-point lead (14-9),
the largest of the half. Shaw went into the half leading 37-34.
“Tonight was a great opportunity to participate in the finals,”
said Johnson C. Smith head coach Vanessa Taylor. “We could not get
it going offensively and Shaw did a great job of scoring on their fast
break points.”
The Lady Bears shot a mere 40 percent (12-30) in the first half, but were
able to stay in the game by converting on 12-of-12 free-throws in the
half.
Naomi Mobley netted 12 points and had seven rebounds in the first; frontcourt
mate Margiella Mobley had eight points and three boards in the half.
Sophomore Terri Edwards led the Lady Golden Bulls, scoring 11 points,
and Annie DeRoy had eight points in the half.
The Lady Bears increased their lead in the second, and a Kiarsha Curtis
lay-up put Shaw up 12 (55-43). SU had possession when all the lights when
out at the RBC Center. The power outage, which lasted for 25 minutes,
seemed to halt a little of the Lady Bears momentum. When play resumed
JCSU went on a 7-0 run, cutting Shaw’s lead to seven (57-50), with
seven minutes remaining in the game. The Lady Bears responded with a 15-2
run that gave them a 19-point lead, essentially putting the game out of
reach. SU improved on their lead and went on to the 77-54 victory, winning
their first CIAA championship since 1996.
“We knew it was going to be a tough game, just like all of the other
games in the tournament,” said Shaw head coach Jacques Curtis. “We
knew we were going to have to fight to win.”
Naomi Mobley, in her final CIAA basketball game, had 21 points, 18 rebounds,
seven assists, and three blocks, on her way to being named the tournament’s
Most Valuable Player. Margiella Mobley scored a game-high 23 points, and
seven boards. Curtis had 15 points off the bench for the Lady Bears.
Edwards paced the Lady Golden Bulls with team-highs of 16 points and nine
rebounds, and All-CIAA guard Joi Surratt had 11 points, and four rebounds.
“My shot were falling in the first half and in the second I was
in a slump,” said Surratt.
By winning the CIAA Tournament, Shaw gets an automatic bid to the NCAA
Division II Playoffs.