CIAA tournament: Winston-Salem State joins Fayetteville State in title game

Winston-Salem State’s grit has them in the CIAA final for the first time in five years.

The Rams (18-10) leaned on their defense to turn away Claflin 58-56 in the semifinals at Spectrum Center to advance to Saturday’s title game against Fayetteville State, but it wasn’t easy. Claflin (14-16), the South Division’s fourth seed, rallied from a nine-point deficit with 11:17 to play to take the lead in the final minute, but Winston-Salem State, the South’s No. 2 seed, didn’t panic.

“Claflin is definitely a tough team, but we had to be a tougher team,” said senior guard Julius Barnes, who scored seven points.

As has been the case throughout the tournament, defense held the upper hand. Winston-Salem State, the CIAA’s best defensive unit, held Claflin to 37.7% shooting (23-of-61) and forced 14 turnovers, but Claflin was equal to the task by limiting the Rams to 36.5% accuracy (19-of-52) from the floor. The key was foul shooting, with Winston-Salem State connecting on 14-of-24 attempts compared to Claflin’s 7-of-15.

“(Claflin) did what they were supposed to do, but at the same time we did what we were supposed to do,” Rams coach Cleo Hill Jr. said. “We played hard, we executed when needed and played some tough defense like we do. That’s what we hang our hat on.”

Winston-Salem’s best player, all-CIAA guard Robert Colon, led all scorers with 19 points on 6-of-15 shooting against a Claflin defense designed to limit open looks. His biggest play, however, was on defense in the final minute when he forced a Panthers’ turnover and called timeout before Claflin could tie him up, preserving the Rams’ advantage.

“I believe Claflin is the most energized team in the conference as far as they send five players in and out,” Colon said. “They all play with the same energy; they crash for offensive rebounds. On defense, they’re scrappy and real physical. I knew we were going to be in a physical game, but we came out with the win, and I’m happy with that.”

Claflin, which won its first two tournament games in its second season in the CIAA, led by as many as eight points in the first half before taking a 27-25 lead into intermission. Cornellius Reynolds paced the Panthers with 18 points on 8-of-20 shooting while Brandon Davis chipped in 12. Ultimately, Winston-Salem State’s relentless defense and timely shooting were the difference.

“First of all, we play hard,” Claflin coach Ricky Jackson said. “Second of all, we never quit.”