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CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Cynthia Johnson (Baltimore, MD/Baltimore Polytechnic Institute) poured in 12 points, but it wasn't enough to lift the Lincoln University to victory as the Lady Lions dropped a hard fought, 60-46, loss to No. 22 Fayetteville State during the quarterfinals of the CIAA Tournament on Wednesday afternoon at Time Warner Cable Arena.
 
“I'm very pleased with our effort tonight,” Lincoln head coach Jessica Kern said. “We played with a lot of heart, a lot of passion. Our girls are motivated for next season. If people did not know, WE'RE HERE. We're not going anywhere and plan to get better, so I am very excited for the future.”
 
Fayetteville State, ranked No. 22 in NCAA Division II, advances to the CIAA Tournament Semifinals and will meet Virginia Union as the Lady Panthers edged rival Virginia State, 57-55, on Wednesday afternoon.
 
Lincoln concludes its season with a 10-18 record – three more victories than the previous season and the most wins since the 2006-2007 season.
 
A day after beating Johnson C. Smith in the opening round and winning its first CIAA Basketball Tournament game, the Lady Lions had no answer for Fayetteville State in the first half as the Lady Broncos built a 31-18 halftime lead.
 
“I think we came out alright,” Kern said. “We simply couldn't make shots tonight. “We started off the second half with five continuous shots within 12 feet and we just couldn't finish it. We got better at the free-throw line, which I'm proud about. We rebounded the way Lincoln basketball rebounds. We forced them to 22 turnovers."
 
Johnson had a team-high 12 points before fouling out with a little more than 10 minutes to left. She was 5-for-9 from the field and pulled down four rebounds.
 
“I had the mindset of attacking,” Johnson said. “After the game last night, we all had the mindset that we wanted to attack the basket. Unfortunately, the shots weren't falling today.”
 
Courtney Lucas (Washington, DC/Friendship Collegiate Academy) finished with eight points, including 3-for-4 from the foul line, while Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS) had seven points and a team-high 11 rebounds. Zephrah Pam (Syracuse, NY/Monroe CC) added two points and grabbed nine boards as the Lady Lions shot 24 percent (16-of-67).
 
“It's very hard to finish off basketball games when you can't shoot great from the field,” Kern said.
 
The Lady Lions trailed, 8-6, after a Johnson layup with 16:27 remaining. The Lady Broncos (23-4) broke open a close game with a 20-4 run during the next 12 minutes to take a 28-10 advantage after a jumper by Alicia Person with 4:28 left.
 
Lincoln closed the gap to 31-18 before halftime after a 3-pointer by Lisa Saunders (Hampton, VA/Hampton HS) and a free throw by McIntosh.
 
The Lady Lions trailed, 36-27 after a jumper by Pam with 14:18 remaining, but the Lady Broncos, who are ranked No. 9 in the Atlantic Region Poll, extended the advantage to 45-30 when Person sank two shots from the charity stripe with 10:52 left.
 
Lincoln closed the gap to 47-38 when Lucas drained a jumper with 9:06 remaining, but Fayetteville State proved to be too much and out-scored Lincoln during the final nine minutes, 13-8, to pick up the win and advance to the semifinals.
 
Kristen Hanzer, the CIAA Player of the Year, paced the Lady Broncos with 15 points and eight boards. Shuanda Ashford added 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while Person finished with 12 points. Akysia Resper chipped in with 10 points as Fayetteville State was 17-of-59 shooting for 29 percent.
 
Lady Lions Notebook: Lincoln concludes the season with its most wins since the 2006-2007 season when the Lady Lions went 17-8…The 10 wins are the most since the Lincoln University women's basketball program became a member of NCAA Division II…The game against Fayetteville State marked the final game for seniors Mfon Ekanem (Springdale, Md./C.H. Flowers HS), Krystal Fluellen (New York, N.Y./Richard Green HS), Tahlar McIntosh (Pittsburgh, Pa./Mt. Alvernia HS), Denyse Moore (Hampton, Va./Woodside HS) and Brittney Waters (Capitol Heights, Md./Charles H. Flowers)…Lady Lions dropped regular-season matchup to Lady Broncos, 72-59, on Jan. 10...Lincoln out-rebounded Fayetteville State, 51-50…The Lady Lions had the advantage in points in the paint, 18-16; second-chance points, 13-7; bench points, 22-11…There was two ties and one lead change.