The semifinals of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Basketball Tournament — a Division II event featuring historically Black colleges and universities — begin Friday at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore. The tournament, with a rich heritage dating to 1912, concludes with the women’s and men’s championship games Saturday.
Games will be broadcast on ESPN+, and tickets are still available.
Here’s a rundown of the action so far.
Men’s results
Opening round
No. 6 Northern Division seed Bluefield State def. No. 7 Southern Division seed St. Augustine’s 50-48.
No. 5S Elizabeth City State def. No. 5N Shaw 70-67.
No. 4N Bowie State def. No. 5S Livingstone 69-66.
Recap: There weren’t any upsets in the opening round, but there were a number of top performers. Bluefield State’s Jordan Hinds scored 24 points in 38 minutes against St. Augustine’s, while Reggie Raynor had 22 for Elizabeth City State and Bowie State’s Warren Mouganda had 17.
Quarterfinals
No. 3N Virginia State def. No. 6S Johnson C. Smith 66-56.
No.6N Bluefield State def. No. 3S Winston-Salem State 67-66.
No. 1S Fayetteville State vs. No. 4N Bowie State 77-53.
No. 1N Lincoln (Pa.) def. No. No5S Elizabeth City State 76-62.
No. 2S Claflin def. No. 3N Virginia State 75-69.
No. 2N Virginia Union def. No. 6N Bluefield State 61-55.
Recap: Here’s where things get weird. Because Bluefield State was among the lowest seeds in the men’s bracket, the team had to play two quarterfinal games. Big Blue did its part by defeating reigning champion Winston-Salem State on Wednesday morning but couldn’t handle Virginia Union. The best teams have separated themselves in the tournament, with the top four seeds making the semifinals.
Semifinals
No. 1N Lincoln (Pa.) def. No.2S Claflin 58-52
No. 1S Fayetteville State def. No. 2N Virginia Union 53-51
Final
4 p.m. Saturday (ESPNU): No. 1N Lincoln (Pa.) vs. No. 1S Fayetteville State
Women’s tournament
Opening round
No. 7S Winston-Salem State def. No. 6N Bowie State 64-61.
No. 4S St. Augustine’s def. No.5N Lincoln (Pa.) 64-52.
No. 6S Shaw def. No. 3N Virginia Union 65-64.
No. 4N Bluefield State def. No. 5S Livingstone 59-56.
No. 3S Johnson C. Smith def. No. 7S Winston-Salem State 65-59.
Recap: Winston-Salem State played two games in the opening round, dispatching Bowie State 64-61 on Monday before falling to Johnson C. Smith 65-59 on Tuesday. St. Augustine’s had four players in double figures, with Taniyah Greene’s 19 points, Janiya Reed’s 12, Lauren Banks’ 11 and Joscelyne Meyers’ 10. Shaw notched an upset over Virginia Union in overtime, powered by Camila Barreno’s 15 points and game-winning shot. Bluefield State continued its march in Year 1 of CIAA play with a victory over Livingstone.
Quarterfinals
No. 1N Elizabeth City State def. No. 4S St. Augustine’s 64-60.
No. 1S Fayetteville State def. No. 4N Bluefield State 59-45.
No. 2S Claflin def. No. 6S Shaw 71-45.
No. 2N Virginia State def. No. 3S Johnson C. Smith 51-42.
Recap: The top four seeds advanced to the semifinals. Virginia State’s Mihjae Hayes had 21 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field, with four rebounds and four assists. Fayetteville State continued its onslaught on the CIAA with its 11th straight win, improving to 25-2. The Lady Broncos are 17-1 in conference play.
Semifinals
No. 1N Elizabeth City State 70 def. No. 2S Claflin 58.
No. 1S Fayetteville State def. No. 2N Virginia State 86-61
Recap: Elizabeth City State took a nine-point lead over Claflin in the first quarter of Friday’s semifinal and cruised. Five players on the Vikings scored double digits, led by fifth-year guard NyAsia Blango with 18 points. Blango went 6-for-14 from the floor, making all five of Elizabeth City State’s field goals from behind the arc. Center Rashauna Grant contributed a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds.
Finals
1 p.m. on Saturday: No. 1N Elizabeth City State vs. No. 1S Fayetteville State (ESPNU)
