ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. — Elizabeth City State University women's basketball fell to CIAA foe Claflin University, 60–47, Monday evening inside the R.L. Vaughan Center. The Vikings dropped to 2–6 overall and 0–3 in conference play, while Claflin improved to 6–2 (3–0 CIAA).

ECSU kept the contest competitive early, trailing just 19–12 after the first quarter and cutting the deficit to 27–23 at halftime. The Vikings struggled to generate offense out of the break, however, as Claflin outscored ECSU 21–13 in the third quarter to seize control.

Despite a strong defensive effort and winning the rebounding battle 38–27, ECSU shot just 29.2 percent from the field for the game. The Vikings were held to 14 made field goals, with much of their scoring coming at the free-throw line.

Tionna Pettus led ECSU with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds, continuing her strong presence in the paint. Kailyn Young and Karina Scott each added 10 points, with Scott providing a spark off the bench, knocking down two three-pointers and going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.

Claflin was paced by Ariel Lucas, who scored a game-high 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc. The Panthers capitalized on turnovers, scoring 21 points off ECSU miscues, and received 22 points from their bench.

Up next for ECSU: Elizabeth City State takes a road trip to Fort Lauderdale, Fla. for two games in two days. The Vikings tip things off on Friday, Dec. 19th against host NOVA Southeastern, and conclude the road trip with University of Ft. Lauderdale on Saturday, Dec. 20th.