Jerrell Jordan

Quiera Gilmore, Playing In Her Hometown of Charlotte, N.C., Scored A Career-High 19 Points Against Chowan In CIAA Tourney First-Round Game

Women's Basketball 2/27/2018 7:13:00 PM Office of Sports Information

SAU Women's Basketball Pushes Regionally-Ranked Chowan To The Limit In CIAA Tourney Loss

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 27) – Saint Augustine's University gave regionally-ranked Chowan University a major scare in a CIAA Tournament first-round loss on Tuesday.

The Lady Falcons almost ousted the Hawks on the first day, but a late run by Chowan led to a 75-70 defeat at the Bojangles' Coliseum. Leading 62-59 with 9:17 left, the Lady Falcons were outscored 16-8 down the stretch.

The No. 4 seed in the Southern Division, the Lady Falcons ended their season at 7-19 overall. Chowan (19-8 overall), the No. 5 Northern Division seed, advances to face Virginia Union University, the Northern Division top seed, in Wednesday's quarterfinals.

Despite the loss, coaches James "Art" Richmond and Wyndell Holmes were proud of the Lady Falcons, who gave a tremendous effort against the Hawks. Chowan, ranked ninth in the Atlantic Region, beat the Lady Falcons by 39 and 21 points during the regular season.

"They played good basketball today," Richmond said about his Lady Falcons. "The people in the Coliseum saw that. This wasn't the same Saint Augustine's team that everybody saw in December. They started peaking at the end of the season."

Quiera Gilmore (R-So./Charlotte, NC) scored a career-high 19 points and grabbed eight rebounds, and All-CIAA selection Kaaliya Williams (So./Richmond, VA) added 14 points, including 10 points in the second half. Angela Caraballo (So./Richmond, VA) registered nine points and three steals and Kamya Renwicks (So./Baltimore, MD) had eight points while Kelsee Arnold (Jr./Fayetteville, GA) chipped in six points.

The Lady Falcons rattled the Hawks with tenacious defense, forcing 24 turnovers and recording 13 steals, including four by Arnold and Ke-Ashe Lee (Sr./Roanoke, VA). One of the top Division II teams in turnovers forced, the Lady Falcons scored 34 points off Hawks' miscues.

The defensive pressure bothered the Hawks as the lead swung back-and-fourth throughout the game. The Lady Falcons erased a nine-point deficit late in the second period to go ahead 38-33 at halftime. The Hawks scored the first eight points of the third period to regain the lead at 41-38, but Paulette Addison (Sr./Wilmington, NC) swished a short jumper from the corner before the horn sounded to put the Lady Falcons back on top 60-59.

The margin stretched to three on two Caraballo free throws in the fourth period before the Hawks went on their final game-winning spurt. In all, the contest featured 11 lead changes and 12 ties.

"A lot of people didn't believe in us," said Lee, who along with seniors Tomisha Davis (New Bern, NC) and Addison played their final game in a Lady Falcons uniform. "We had to believe in ourselves."

The Hawks prevailed by dominating the glass. They won the rebounding battle 51-33 including a 20-11 advantage on the offensive boards. It led to 21 second-chance points for the Hawks.

Despite being outrebounded, the Lady Falcons nearly pulled off the win. They fought through adversity the entire game as several key frontcourt players were saddled with foul trouble. The Lady Falcons played key stretches without Gilmore and Williams, their top two scorers, yet manage to put themselves in position to win.

Both Danielle Weldon and Mariah Coker scored 17 points to lead four double-figure Chowan scorers. Chantel Roberts added 11 points and 16 rebounds and Joanne Williams had 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The contest marked the end of a rebuilding year for the Lady Falcons, but there were several positives to reflect on. Williams emerged as one of the top offensive threats in the conference, and the Lady Falcons developed an identity as a quick defensive team. They return nine student-athletes next season including Williams and Gilmore off a squad which more than doubled their win total from the last two seasons combined.

"I felt comfortable going into the tournament with these young ladies," Richmond said. "I told them that we were the most dangerous team in the tournament. I didn't think none of the other 11 teams wanted to play us, because they knew what we were capable of doing."

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