- Posted in All University
- Category: AthleticsCampus News
LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA - The journey continues for the top-seed Lincoln University women's basketball team as the Lions will play #12 Livingstone in the semifinals of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association tournament 2 p.m. Friday.
TOURNAMENT HISTORY
Lincoln is now 12-9 in the school's CIAA Tournament history. This will mark the fourth time the Lions have faced Livingstone in the postseason, holding a slim 2-1 edge. Lincoln won the lone regular-season meeting, beating the Blue Bears, 71-52, on Feb. 2.
NORTH DIVISION CHAMPIONS
The Lincoln University women's basketball team claimed their first-ever CIAA Northern Division Championship and will enter the tournament as the top seed.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Fifth-year senior was named the CIAA Player of the Year and is a member of the All-CIAA Backcourt. It's back-to-back Player of the Year honors for the LU women's basketball team as Kwanza Murray earned the honor following the 2019-20 season. The CIAA canceled the 2020-21 season.
Brown, a career 1,000-point scorer, is leading the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) with 17.1 points per game. She is second in the conference, and 19th nationally, making 85.1 percent (114-of-134) of her free throws this season, and made a CIAA-best 114 made free throws. She leads the CIAA with 2.4 three-pointers per game.
Senior Kryshell Gordy (Chester, Pa./Ursuline Academy (Del.)) was named as a frontcourt player on the All-CIAA team.
SWISS ARMY KNIFE
Junior Jade Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends School) has been stuffing the stat sheet all season for the Lions and is coming off her fourth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds in the quarterfinal win over Winston-Salem State. Her first double-double of the season came via rebounds and assists. She is second in the CIAA with 3.7 assists and in assist to turnover ratio, while being ninth in the league with 6.4 rebounds.
VARIABLE STARTERS
Mainly due to injuries, Lincoln has rolled out 13 different starting lineups this season. The lineup of Jaleesa Lanier (Easton, Pa./Bethlehem Catholic), Bryanna Brown (New York, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin), Jade Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends School), Shantel Cheeks (Washington D.C./Rock Creek Christian Academy (Harcum College)), and Kryshell Gordy (Chester, Pa./Ursuline Academy (Del.)) has started the most of any quintet, starting six games this season. Lincoln is now 13-3 with Lanier starting at point guard.
ATLANTIC REGIONAL POLLS
Lincoln is the lone CIAA school in the NCAA Regional Polls, coming in at 10th in the Atlantic Region.
TRANSITION POINTS
As a team, the Lions are at their best when they can gain points in transition. The Lions are 16-1 when they register at least 16 fast-break points and just 4-6 when they fail to record 16 points.
BIG SPARK
Joy "Big Spark" Morton has been the team's emotional heartbeat all season long. When a play is to be made, offensively or defensively, Morton is usually somewhere involved. Her five free throws without a miss in the quarterfinal win over Winston-Salem State was a Lincoln CIAA Tournament record.
PREVIOUS MEETING
Three players reached double figures as the Lincoln University women's basketball team secured the 71-52 win over Livingstone in CIAA action at Rivero Gymnasium on Feb. 22.
Brown and Morton tallied 16 points each, while freshman Maya Walker had one of the best games in her career with 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior Jade Young (Philadelphia, Pa./Abington Friends School) added 12 rebounds, nine on the defensive end to lead the Lions.
Andresia Alexander was the only Livingstone player in double figures with 15 points.
