Courtesy: Lincoln Athletics
With the 74-48 victory over Livingstone Friday, the Lincoln University women’s basketball team is headed to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship game. It marks the school’s second all-time appearance in the title game as the Lions improved to 2-3 in semifinal games. Lincoln has appeared in five of the last seven CIAA semifinals.
Lincoln opened the game by scoring the first eight points and then capped the first quarter by scoring 10 straight for the 12-point lead. The Lions’ lead grew to as much as 24 in the first half before the Blue Bears scored the final eight points of the half.
Livingstone’s run extended to 12-0 as LC tallied the first four points of the third quarter, but a three-point play by freshman Jaleesa Lanier (Easton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), followed by a bucket from senior Kryshell Gordy (Chester, Pa./Ursuline Academy (Del.)), and the Blue Bear momentum came to a halt. Those scores catapulted the Lions on the game-sealing 19-6 run that pushed the Lincoln lead to 25 points.
CIAA Player of the Year Bryanna Brown (New York, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) led the team with 18 points on 7-of-14 shooting with six rebounds.
Two players — junior Jade Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends School) and senior Kryshell Gordy (Chester, Pa./Ursuline Academy (Del.)) — both recorded double-doubles in the game. Young, who finished 10 points and 10 rebounds, has registered a double-double in both tournament games and now has five on the season. It was Gordy’s third double-double as she finished with 11 points and 12 rebounds. She has six double-digit rebounds games this season. The duo played a huge part as the Lions set a Lincoln CIAA Tournament single-game record with 57 rebounds as a team.
Freshman Maya Walker added 10 points and seven rebounds, her fourth double-figure scoring performance of the year. Two of those games have come against Livingstone.
Lincoln advances to its second CIAA Championship game in school history, playing Elizabeth City State 1 p.m. Saturday. The two teams split their regular-season games with each team posting home victories.