CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Jan. 12, 2019) – Elizabeth City State lost in a heartbreaker in overtime to CIAA foe Johnson C. Smith, 67-64, in Brayboy Gymnasium.

ECSU fought throughout its road contest at Johnson C. Smith. The Vikings trailed by two after the first quarter of play but relied on defensive stands and a 7-0 run by Jalyn Brown in the second quarter to pull ahead by three at the halftime break.
 
Following halftime, the two teams continued to trade punches as Johnson C. Smith would lead late into the third quarter until Asia Deal would score three out of her game-high 19 points on a three-point bucket with five seconds remaining to pull the Vikings even heading into the final ten minutes of regulation.
 
The final quarter would be a defensive struggle for both teams as both ECSU and Johnson C. Smith would score six points in the quarter. ECSU (11-6, CIAA 4-3) would lead by one with two seconds remaining until the Golden Bull's Dejane James hit one-of-two free throws to tie the game at 54 and force overtime.
 
In the overtime period, ECSU would jump out to a quick four point lead after two made free throws from Naterria Luster with 3:58 remaining. The Golden Bulls would tie the contest up at 58 following a Maiya Green layup off an ECSU turnover with 3:16 remaining.
 
Both teams would battle back and forth until JCSU's James scored a layup with 22 seconds remaining to take the lead for the final time. ECSU had one final opportunity but a missed jumper and a foul after the JCSU rebound would send the Golden Bulls to victory.

"It was a tough game today for us," ECSU women's basketball head coach Antonio Davis said.  "This game provided a high-intensity, championship-level atmosphere.  And while we played hard, we didn't execute down the stretch. JCSU is a well-coached and disciplined team and a game like this gives us a glimpse of what it looks like to handle the demands of a championship type ball game – particularly on the road. We will get better from this loss"

The Vikings were led offensively by Deal who notched 19 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field. Luster and Brown would contribute in double figures for the Vikings, scoring 17 and 16, respectively, on the afternoon.