SAU Women's Basketball Edges Elizabeth City State 56-54 On Late Layup

Box Score

RALEIGH, N.C. (Dec. 16) – The Saint Augustine's University women's basketball team showed Saturday that it is a vastly improved team.

After losing big in their first meeting against Elizabeth City State University, the Lady Falcons gained revenge with a 56-54 CIAA victory against the Lady Vikings at Emery Gymnasium. Kamya Renwicks (Sr./Baltimore, MD) scored the game-winning layup on a drive with four seconds left, and victory was assured when the Lady Vikings missed a layup as time expired.

On Thursday, Dec. 14, the Lady Falcons stayed close before losing to regionally-ranked Virginia State University. On Saturday, they defeated a Lady Vikings' squad which beat them by 18 points in a non-conference game earlier this season. With the win, the Lady Falcons (1-1 CIAA, 4-7 overall) surpassed last season's victory total after 11 games in addition to snapping a 33-game losing streak in conference regular-season contests which stretched over two seasons.

The Lady Falcons outlasted the Lady Vikings (0-2 CIAA, 6-6 overall) with poise and grit in the fourth period. They could have wilted after falling behind 52-48 with 6:43 remaining but Kiana Clark (So./Queens, NY) drained a three-pointer from the right wing for a 54-52 lead with 3:34 left. Clark scored from behind the arc after a steal by Quiera Gilmore (So./Charlotte, NC), one of 12 takeaways by the Lady Falcons.

After the Lady Vikings tied the game at 54-54, the Lady Falcons called timeout with 11 seconds left to set up a play. After the timeout, Renwicks took the inbound pass near the Lady Falcons' bench and dribbled around two screens at the top of the three-point line. Renwicks found an opening and drove past the Lady Vikings' defense for a wide-open layup with four seconds remaining.

The Lady Vikings tried to send the game into overtime, but Gilmore shadowed an ECSU player as she drove the lane. Gilmore forced the Lady Vikings' player to lose control of the ball on the layup attempt to seal the win for the Lady Falcons.

Both teams met in Nov. 25 in the Fayetteville State University Thanksgiving Classic where the Lady Vikings had their way in a 73-55 win which did not count in the CIAA standings. On Saturday, the Lady Falcons were a different team on their home floor. They outscored the Lady Vikings in turnover points (15-10) and bench points (18-15) in a contest that featured 10 lead changes and 12 ties. The biggest difference was at the free throw line where the Lady Falcons shot 16 of 21 for 76.2 percent while the Lady Vikings were 8 of 23 for 34.8 percent. The Lady Falcons also forced 25 Lady Vikings' turnovers.

Sophomore sensation Kaaliya Williams (Soph./Richmond, VA) was superb against the Lady Vikings, scoring a team-high 16 points including 10 in the second half. Bianca Igwe (Jr./Tampa, FL) added nine points and a career-high 13 rebounds and Clark scored nine points on 3 of 5 three-point shooting. Kelsee Arnold (Jr./Fayetteville, GA) chipped in seven points and Tomisha Davis (Sr./New Bern, NC) had three blocks and three steals.

Devona Stell led the Lady Vikings with 17 points and 14 rebounds and Jalyn Brown scored 16 points. The Lady Vikings held a huge size advantage, but the Lady Falcons neutralized them with their quickness and athleticism.

The Lady Falcons host Chowan University at Emery Gymnasium on Monday, Dec. 18, for their third home CIAA game in five days. Tipoff is 5:30 p.m.

Chowan got the best of the Lady Falcons in an earlier matchup in the FSU Thanksgiving Classic, winning by 21 points. The Hawks can expect to see a different Lady Falcons' squad on Monday.

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