Box Score CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Chowan University women's basketball team secured a spot in the CIAA Tournament Semifinals on Wednesday morning with a 59-57 overtime victory against Bowie State University.  The Hawks entered the contest as the No. 2 seed out of the CIAA Northern Division while the Lady Bulldogs were the No. 6 seed out of the North.
 
Sophomore Kiara Colston (Burtonsville Md.) led all players in the game with a career-high 28 points in the setback while sophomore teammate Kyah Proctor (Capitol Heights, Md.) added 14 points for Bowie State.  Junior Ashley Jennings (Newark, N.J.) tallied a game-high 13 rebounds (six offensive, seven defensive). 
 
Jordan Payne drained 16 points in the victory for the Hawks while Alisha Mobley and Dhyamond Crenshaw each added 13 points apiece for Chowan.  Mobley grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds (five offensive, five defensive) with Payne adding nine rebounds (four offensive, five defensive).
 
Shadae Swan, Interim Head Coach at Bowie State University added, "Today's game was an interesting game.  I'm extremely proud of these young ladies they left everything on the court.  I could not be more proud of this team."
 
The Hawks led early as Mobley opened the contest with a three-pointer to put Chowan on the board.  Jada Lee and Crenshaw each drained one free throw for Chowan to push the Hawks ahead 5-0 by the 7:01 mark in the first quarter. 
 
Bowie State took advantage of two Chowan fouls with Proctor netting four free throws to make the score 5-4 with 4:41 on the clock.  A layup by Mobley pushed the Hawks ahead 7-4 with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter.  A Bowie State turnover led to Danielle Weldon draining a three-pointer to extend Chowan's advantage to 10-4 but Robin Heard (Waldorf, Md.) answered with a jumper to make the score 10-6 with less than two minutes remaining before halftime. 
 
With the Hawks holding a 10-7 advantage and 48 seconds on the clock, Courtni Williams' netted a jumper resulting in a 12-7 lead for the Chowan Blue and White.  A three-pointer by Proctor at the close of the first quarter left the Hawks clinging to a 12-10 advantage before Jordan Payne's free handed Chowan a narrow 13-10 lead after the first ten minutes of play. 
 
The Hawks and Lady Bulldogs exchanged baskets at the start of the second quarter before Payne's jumper gave Chowan a 17-12 lead at the 8:09 mark and sparked a 10-0 run for the Hawks.  Chowan had five different scorers contribute to the shift in momentum. 
 
Colston's free throws with 3:29 on the clock ended the five minute scoring drought for the Lady Bulldogs.  Shaikeyla Jordan's layup gave the Hawks a 29-14 lead; their largest of the game (15 points) with 2:21 left to play.   Down but not out Bowie State, rallied for an 8-1 run to cut the deficit to eight points (30-22) heading into the locker room at the halftime break. 
 
The Lady Bulldogs came out fighting at the start of the third quarter behind a 7-0 run leaving the Hawks grasping to a 30-29 lead.  Back-to-back jumpers by Crenshaw and a three-pointer by Elisia Diggs swung the momentum back in favor of the Hawks and gave Chowan a 37-29 lead by the 5:55 mark in the third quarter. 
The Hawks and Lady Bulldogs exchanged baskets over the next two minutes of play before Colston's free throw with 3:08 on the clock put Bowie State within three points (42-39).  With 12 seconds remaining in the third quarter, Jennings made a layup for Bowie State to put the Lady Bulldogs within striking distance.  Payne drained two free throws to give the Hawks some breathing room but Colston's bucket at the buzzer left the Hawks clinging to a 44-43 lead heading into the final ten minutes of play. 
 
Mobley hit two free throws and Payne drained a layup after a steal to give Chowan a 48-43 edge with 7:51 left in the game.  With the Hawks leading 49-45 and 4:42 left in the game, sophomore Lisa Jing (Laurel, Md.) made a layup to make it a two-point game (49-47).  On Bowie State's next possession, Colston hit a layup to knot the score 49-49.  Mobley answered with a free throw for Chowan but Proctor answered with two of her own to give Bowie State their first lead of the game (51-50) with 2:47 on the clock. Payne dug deep and hit a free throw at the 2:09 mark to knot the score once more.  Both teams failed to score at the end of regulation, sending the contest into overtime. 
 
Colston opened the overtime period with a layup before a layup and free throw by Mobley gave the Hawks a 54-53 edge with 3:02 remaining in the contest.  Payne added two free throws handing the Hawks a 56-53 lead before Proctor's bucket along with two free throws by junior Jasmine Orsted (Dickson, Tenn.) handed the Lady Bulldogs a 57-56 advantage with 1:16 on the clock. With less than one minute left to play, Weldon came through with a layup for Chowan to send the Hawks ahead 58-57. Crenshaw's free throw clinched the 59-57 victory for Chowan and secured the team's spot in semifinal play.
 
Bowie State ends the season with an 11-17 overall record.  Chowan advances to semifinal action on Friday at 1:00 p.m.  The Hawks will face the winner of Wednesday's Winston-Salem State University/Shaw University match-up.