ELIZABETH CITY, NC (December 17, 2021) – The Clalfin Lady Panthers (1-8, 0-1 CIAA) gave it their all, but the effort was not quite enough in a 53-43 loss to the Elizabeth City State Vikings (9-1, 1-0). The Lady Panthers opened Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) play on a down note, but the team played some solid offense and led a balanced attack in the game.
The loss came in spite of an impressive effort by the Lady Panthers. The team held their opponents to just 53 points, but the Lady Panthers could not quite get their offense going in the loss. As a team, the Lady Panthers shot 28.1% (16-for-57) from the floor. The team had a balanced offensive attack with freshman Janelle Sample and junior Leigha Harris both scoring nine points in the game. Senior guard Dionna Long added seven points.
In the first half, the Lady Panthers gave a terrific effort as the team stayed within reach of the Lady Vikings. It took a while for the Lady Panthers to get into the game as the first quarter was a slow one for the Lady Panthers. The team totaled just seven points and ended the quarter trailing, 17-7. The team answered the challenge with a strong second quarter. The Lady Panthers opened the quarter with a terrific start as a three-pointer from freshman guard Janelle Sample capped a 12-3 run and pulled the Lady Panthers to within point of the Lady Vikings, 19-20 with 4:42 left in the second quarter. A Harris lay-up just under a minute later pu the Lady Panthers in the lead, 21-20. In the final minutes of the quarter, a Harris free throw was all that the Lady Panthers could manage as the team finished the quarter trailing, 24-22.
It was the third quarter that proved costly for the Lady Panthers. Once again another slow start proved costly for the team. The Lady Panthers managed just 10 third quarter points and fell behind by as many as 15 points before ending the quarter trailing, 41-32. IN the fourth quarter, the Lady Panthers put on a much better defensive effort as they held the Lady Vikings to just 12 points. Unfortunately, the Lady Panthers weren’t able to turn their defense into offense. After falling behind by as many 18 points, the Lady Panthers made a tremendous effort to come back in the final minutes of the game. The team capped the game by going on a 10-3 run, but the effort was not enough as the Lady Panthers ended the game with a 53-43 loss.
With the loss, the Lady Panthers fall to 1-8 overall and open CIAA play with an 0-1 record. The team will return to action, Saturday morning, when they head to Raleigh, N.C. to take on the Shaw Lady Bears.