History was made during the first full day of Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament action at CFG Bank Arena on Tuesday.
The Bluefield State women won their first conference tournament game, defeating Livingstone, 59-56. The Big Blue advance to face Fayetteville State, the top seed in the South Division, at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday.
“You all saw a little bit of Bluefield basketball,” forward Gabrielle Thomas said. “We got a lot more to show you guys.”
A strong defensive effort led the way as the Big Blue, the No. 4 seed in the North Division, forced turnovers all game. The Blue Bears gave the ball away 26 times, with the last via a steal by point guard Azariah Binford being the final nail in the coffin in the waning seconds.
“We want to be a force on the defensive end,” coach Paul Davis said. “Our goal is to force 30 [turnovers] a game.”
Offensively, the duo of Thomas and Alexyss Newman carried Bluefield State, out of Bluefield, West Virginia.
Thomas only scored eight points but pulled down 10 of her 13 rebounds during a second half when points were at a premium and every possession mattered.
Newman did a little bit of everything, finishing with a game-high 20 points. The All-CIAA junior filled the stat sheet, adding four rebounds, three assists and three steals in the win.
“Alexyss is phenomenal,” Davis said. “She’s been a spark, all the girls love her and most importantly, she is a winner.”
With four girls playing over 30 minutes, including Binford who played all 40, Davis shook off any fears of fatigue as he knows his team is on a bigger mission this week in Baltimore.
“We’re trying to come here and put Bluefield State on the map,” he said. “We appreciate the CIAA for giving us the platform.”
— Timothy Dashiell