Knights win first national title
PORT HURON, MI.- CCBC Essex (MD) wins the eighth 2022 NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship title after defeating eighth-seeded Richard Bland (VA) 95-85 in an overtime thriller at the SC4 Fieldhouse on Saturday.
The 2023 championship is the first women's basketball title in the Knights' program's history. After a third-place finish in last year's championship, CCBC Essex was not denied this year.
Championship Box Score
Knights' guards Tyler Gray and Faith Blackstone finished with 27+ points each respectively, with Blackstone earning a triple-double with 11 rebounds. Richard Bland's Janiah Jones was one of three players with at least 20 points. Jones finished tied for a game-high with 39 points.
Tale of the Tape
The national championship game was a thriller from start to finish. The opening quarter saw both teams come out firing. Janiah Jones of Richard Bland scored eight points in the opening frame, but the Knights held a 19-13 lead.
The Statesmen bounced back and showed the strong defensive presence they had all tournament, holding the Knights to 13 points and cutting the lead to one.
Both teams emerged from the locker room with some fire as they each scored 20+ points respectively. The score going the fourth was 56-55 with Richard Bland holding the lead.
The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair. Both teams held the lead at various points in the quarter. Tyler Gray converted on a tough layup with 58 seconds to play to tie the game at 54. Gray drove the lane and drew a foul with just 14 seconds to play and sunk both free throws. Richard Bland were not going down easy, as Auzhane Allard converted on a tough layup with 14 seconds to play and take us to overtime.
The Knights came out firing in the overtime period, where they Faith Blackstone scored eight of the teams 19 points to pull CCBC Essex to its first championship.
Knights win its first national championship
The Knights put together an impressive tournament from start to finish. They won their games in the tournament by an average of 22 points, with their closest game being the semifinal against defending champion Kirkwood (IA).
Sophomore Anasia Staton, Gray, and Blackstone were each named to the All-Tournament team. Blackstone was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.
Richard Bland concludes the inaugural season with a runner-up finish
Richard Bland entered the tournament as the No. 8 overall seed and boasted one of the best offenses in the nation.
They defeated Mid-Michigan in the first round before a date with top-seeded Morton (IL). In what was one of the best games of the tournament, the Statesmen upset the top seed and advanced to the semifinals.
In an overtime thriller, Courtney Scott and Janiah Jones led Richard Bland to the championship game with a win over Harcum.
Auzhane Allard and Janiah Jones were named to the All-Tournament team.
Awards
CCBC Essex's Faith Blackstone was named the 2022-23 NJCAA DII Women's Basketball Championship's Most Valuable Player. Blackstone averaged 20.5 points and 6 rebounds per game across the tournament.
Eight programs were represented on the All-Tournament Team. North Central Missouri was awarded the B.J. Graber Cox Team Sportsmanship Award.
