Box Score Charlotte, N.C. (Feb. 21, 2017) –The Virginia State University women's basketball team secured its twentieth win of the season with an impressive 73-40 win over St. Augustine's University in the first round of the 2017 CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament at Bojangles Coliseum on Tuesday afternoon.

After trading leads for the first four minutes, the Southern Division six-seed St. Augustine's Falcons surged ahead 9-5 following two free throws from Kiana Clark (Queens, N.Y.) at the 2:19 mark. VSU then scored five straight points thanks to a free throw from Taylor Daniels (Hampton, Va.), four from Mia Fitts (Richmond, Va.), allowing the Trojans to claim the 10-9 lead. VSU would add a Tierra Richberg (Williston, S.C.) basket to go ahead 12-9 at the end of the quarter.

In the second, SAU battled back to force the 15-15 tie after a Quiera Gilmore (Charlotte, N.C.) bucket with 5:57 before halftime. Virginia State then went on an 11-2 run to push the lead to 26-17 following a Pitts three-pointer.  The VSU lead then grew to 30-20 after a pair of free throws from Fitts. She would add two more with four seconds before the break to provide VSU with the 33-21 halftime lead.

The VSU lead would swell to as many as 20 points in the third quarter, as VSU outscored the Falcons 28-10 in the frame, jumping out to a 63-31 lead. In the competition both team tied the score three times.  St. Augustine's would get no closer than 36 points the rest of the way as Virginia State cruised to the 73-40 win.

Virginia State forced 28 turnovers, leading to 23 Trojan points and also held the 18-1 advantage in second-chance points.

VSU had two players score 16 points in Nandi Taylor (Mt. Morris, Mich.) and Mia Fitts. Tierra Richberg added 13 while teammate Alison Bragaw-Butler (Arlington, Va.) chipped in 10 points. With the win, VSU improves to 20-7 on the season.

The Trojans advance to take on the Southern Division second-seed Livingstone Blue Bears at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22.