Shaw three-peats as top women's team
LUT WILLIAMS
BCSP Editor
It's a three-peat for the Shaw Lady Bears of Jacques Curtis. And it keeps getting better.
For the third year in a row, Shaw claimed the CIAA title, posted the best record in all of women's black college basketball, and takes the top spot in the final BCSP Top Ten.
And they were perhaps more dominating this season than any other.
But for the first time in its history, Shaw (32-2) added a South Atlantic Regional title to its haul and a spot in the NCAA Div. II Elite Eight.
There, despite a first-ever No. 1 ranking in national polls, the Lady Bears could not bring home their first national title, falling in the national quarterfinals to Central Arkansas.
All told, this year's results were just another stepping stone for the Lady Bears who reached the region finals in 2003 before bowing out in the region quarterfinals in 2004. They've hosted the last two regionals on their home floor in Raleigh and this time took home the title to earn a spot at the national tournament in Conway, Arkansas.
SWAC champion Alcorn State (21-9) and MEAC champ Coppin State (23-8) swept to their respective regular season and tournament titles and earned the spots just behind the Lady Bears. Neither of the two could make any noise beyond their own conferences, falling as 16th seeds to top seeds in their regions of the NCAA Div. I tourney.
After those champs, the women's field had a lot of parity.
Four teams bunched in second place behind Alcorn State in the SWAC and jostled for the right to challenge the Lady Braves in the tournament finals. That prize went to Southern (16-14) who holds down the fourth spot in our final ranking.
Alabama State (15-14) and Grambling State (14-15) joined Southern and Alabama A&M (16-12) behind Alcorn State in the regular season. Both ASU and GSU made the SWAC tournament semifinals and are tied for fifth.
Fort Valley State (22-10), SIAC regular season runner up, bowed in the conference tourney in two overtimes to Paine. The Lady Wildcats went on to knock off regular season champ Tuskegee (19-11) in the South Region quarterfinals before losing to Central Arkansas, the same team that upended Shaw, in the regional semis.
FVSU is tied with MEAC regular season runner-up Hampton (14-13) in seventh.
The teams making up the final three spots in the ranking are:
Howard (17-12), MEAC tourney semifinalist, fourth in regular season
Florida A&M (14-16), MEAC tourney semifinalist, fifth in regular season
Central State (22-5), The best of the independents
Norfolk State (12-18), Cinderella team, reaching finals of MEAC tournament after seventh-place regular season finish, and Elizabeth City State (17-12), finished behind Shaw in CIAA East and at CIAA tournament.
© 2005 Azeez Communications, Inc.