Claflin University head coach Brion Dunlap didn’t have to do much talking about the importance of not looking past Virginia State in Thursday’s CIAA quarterfinals.
Claflin, the no. 2 seed in the CIAA South, took care of business, holding off a late Virginia State rally attempt for a 75-69 win.
“We just bonded in and tried to stay locked in and understanding the purpose of why we’re here,” Dunlap said after the game. “I think the guys that were here last year understood how long we waited, was because we played on Thursday night last year, but, they were able to talk to the guys and I didn’t have to do a lot of talking.”
CU was the no. 2 seed last year when it was knocked off by eventual champion Winston-Salem State University on a Thursday night. Jailen Williams was a part of last season’s Claflin squad that won 19 regular season games but fell short at the CIAA Tournament. And he made his team did not repeat that feeling. Williams scored a game-high 23 points in the
“Yeah, that was a bad feeling, last year,” Williams said. “I had extreme confidence coming into the tournament last year based off the guys we had. But, I feel like we’ve improved our depth chart this year, and it just feels good to be on the winning side this year.”
Claflin led by as many as 14 at one point in the game and led for nearly 38 minutes. It got a solid performance at the line, hitting 26 of its 37 free throw attempts to advance.
Claflin University will face CIAA North Division Champion Lincoln University on Friday at 2 PM. Lincoln defeated Claflin 72-62 in the regular season meeting back in December. The winner will advance to the CIAA title game.