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Central State Recap
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (March 3, 2018) – “Fundamentally, the game is the same at all levels. It’s hard to win. It doesn’t matter what conference you’re in. It’s hard to go from last place to first place. Regardless of what conference; regardless of what level, basketball is basketball. The game is the same,” said Yolanda Moore, first year head coach at Clark Atlanta University.
Going from Ole Miss to playing in the WNBA, Coach Moore’s goal was to make an impact on her student-athletes and let them know that they can achieve whatever they set their minds to. She got just that in Saturday’s win over Central State, 71-70.
Senior, Marissa Mandeldove, scored 23 points and added five rebounds to secure the championship title and her title as Tournament Most Valuable Player (MVP).
“It’s a forty-minute game, and it’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon,” said Mandeldove after her victorious win.
The Lady Panthers (20-8) added their first tournament title since 2013 to go along with their regular season championship title.
The Lady Marauders struggled with turnovers as the Lady Panthers capitalized and scored 21 points to keep them in the close game. The game changer came as Marissa Mandeldove brought the ball up, evaluated Central State’s defense and drove it into the lane with only 2.3 seconds remaining in the final quarter which gave Clark Atlanta the win.
The Lady Panthers finished by outscoring the Lady Marauders in the final quarter 17-14.
Central State (23-6) fell to 2-1 in this championship, having fell to Benedict a year before.
“Definitely thought our ladies played very hard tonight. I used the word relentless yesterday and I still believe that word is consistent and true today,” said LaTonya McDole, Interim Head Coach.
Central State Lady Marauders defined “relentless” as they defeated Miles and rival, Kentucky State, in overtime this past week.
“Jaeda is a scorer. She’s a big time player. Just because she comes off the bench doesn’t mean anything…It’s simply about the dynamic of the team, how we can bring points off that bench,” said Coach McDole.
Jaeda Davis led the Lady Marauders with 19 points while freshman, Brooke Spaulding, followed up with 17 points.
Central State led most of the game in a fast-paced two halves that featured four ties and 13 lead changes. The Lady Marauders encountered their largest lead by 15 points in the first quarter before the Lady Panthers began to gain on them.
With 30 seconds remaining, Clark Atlanta’s Courtney Hall posted a layup giving the Lady Panthers the lead by one point as Central State’s Davis responds with a jumper with 14 seconds remaining. Following the media timeout, the Panthers composed themselves as Mandeldove managed a layup with 3 seconds remaining on the clock to allow their one-point win over Central State and secure their tournament champions title.
SIAC All-Tournament Team
MVP: Marissa Mandeldove (Clark Atlanta)
Dominique Williams (Claflin)
Brittani Rizzin (Kentucky State)
Naomi Holloway (Clark Atlanta)
Sierra Harley (Central State)