Fayetteville State defeated Elizabeth City State 64-59 to win the 2024 CIAA Food Lion Tournament Championship at CFG Bank Arena in Baltimore, Maryland on March 2, 2024. Both teams represented the top seed in their respective divisions and went head-to-head in the final CIAA matchup of the season for a chance to take home some hardware.
The game was nothing short of exciting, as the score differential never grew larger than six, with each team trading leads 13 times.
nLady Broncos Crowned 2024 CIAA Tournament Champs; Credit: CIAA
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Both teams were neck and neck early on in the first quarter, as the game found itself tied at seven a piece. After a made bucket by Tanjaneeka Eichelberger gave the Broncos a two-point lead, Elizabeth City State’s Rasheka Simmons drilled back-to-back threes to put the Vikings back on top and led them to a 17-13 advantage heading into the second quarter.
Fayetteville State fought back early, going on an 8-2 run to start the second quarter, re-claiming a 21-19 lead. ECSU would briefly climb back on top, however a three and two free throws by Aniylah Bryant in the final minute of the first half helped the Broncos take a 28-24 lead heading into the break.
Both teams continued to fire away in the third quarter. An early made jumper by Alanis Hill cut the Vikings’ deficit to one and they’d go on to briefly re-claim the lead before four consecutive made free throws propelled the Broncos back into the lead. Hill ended the quarter the same way she started, by sinking a floating jumpshot at the buzzer to cut the team’s deficit to one, setting up for an exciting final quarter of play.
Although they were trailing, the Vikings never gave up. They took back the lead with just under seven minutes remaining, with Hill connecting on a tough layup while drawing a foul. She’d complete the three-point play and put Elizabeth City State up by two. After pulling ahead, FSU’s Keayna McLaughlin netted a game-sealing layup with eight seconds left to help secure the title for the Broncos.
Aniylah Bryant, Talia Trotter, and Nyah Wilkins each contributed 12 points of their own. For the Vikings, Alanis was the team’s leading scorer with 16 points also bringing down four rebounds. Rashauna Grant had a solid game herself, eclipsing a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
2024 Food Lion Women’s Championship MVP
Keayna McLaughlin (Fayetteville State University)
2024 CIAA Women’s Tournament MVP
Aniylah Bryant (Fayetteville State University)
2024 CIAA Women’s All-Tournament Team
Dy’Jhanik Armfield, Guard (Elizabeth City State University)
Aniylah Bryant, Guard (Fayetteville State University)
Ashley Kirven, Center (Johnson C. Smith University)
Mihjae Hayes, Guard (Virginia State University)
Gabrielle Thomas, Forward (Bluefield State University)
Kelis Carmon, Forward (Johnson C. Smith University)
Rashauna Grant, Center (Elizabeth City State University)
Amesha Miller, Forward (Virginia State University)
NyAsia Blango, Guard (Elizabeth City State University)
Nyah Wilkins, Forward (Fayetteville State University)
2024 CIAA Women’s Team Sportsmanship Award
Claflin University
