March 1, 2007

Final Stats

CHARLOTTE, NC- The Elizabeth City State University Vikings held on for a thrilling 57-55 upset win over Virginia State University Thursday afternoon in Game 1 of the CIAA Quarterfinals at the Bobcats Arena.

The #7 Vikings (14-15) will now face the winner of the Bowie State University /Johnson C. Smith University match-up at 9:00pm on Friday. It will represent the second straight year ECSU upset a #2 seed in route to a semi-final appearance as they downed Saint Augustine's in the 2006 CIAA Tournament.

In the two-point victory, the Vikings rode the shoulders of All-CIAA guard Anthony Hilliard who poured in with game highs of 26 points and 16 rebounds, his 16th double-double of the season.

With 22 second remaining, C.J. Pigford hit two clutch free throws to give his team a 56-52 lead. Three second later the Trojan's Trey Mines hit a double clutch three-pointer to trim the lead to a point. The a Michael Johnson foul sent Pigford back to the line where he converted 1-of-2 shot leaving the door open for the Trojans to tie or play for the win. Fortunately for the Vikings faithful Jamar Fleming's last second shot misfired giving the Vikings the win.

Avis Wyatt finished the game with a double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds for Virginia State (20-8).

The Vikings will now await the winner of tonight's 7:00pm game between Bowie State and Johnson C. Smith. ECSU split their regular season meeting with both teams.

For more information on ECSU Athletics, visit www.ecsuvikings.com.