4 HBCUs on the road to Division II basketball tournament

CIAA

Lincoln (Pa.) forward Peter Sorber celebrates the Lions’ 54-51 win against Fayetteville State at the CIAA tournament final March 2 in Baltimore. Lincoln, which earned the eight seed in its first NCAA Division II tournament, plays top seed Gannon in the first round March 16.

Lincoln (Pa.) is getting its first taste of postseason basketball on a national stage.

The Lions (17-13), who won their first CIAA tournament title with a 54-51 decision against Fayetteville State, earned the eighth seed in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region and will play top seed Gannon, (29-2) March 15. The two teams played in November with Gannon winning 97-93 at home.

Three other historically Black programs are in the 64-team field. SIAC tournament winner Clark Atlanta (25-5) earned an automatic berth in the South Region along with conference rival Benedict (23-7), which earned an at-large bid.

Clark Atlanta plays third seed Florida Southern (21-9). Benedict, the eighth seed, will face 2023 national tournament winner Nova Southern (27-2) March 16. No. 7 seed West Virginia State (20-9) earned an at-large bid in the Atlantic Region and will play No. 2 California (Pa.) March 15.

Lincoln, an original member of the CIAA  at its formation in 1912, is credited with the 1915 title with Howard and Hampton before the CIAA tournament was established in 1946.

“Our guys just wanted it a little bit more,” Lions coach Jason Armstrong said. “Our guys stayed focused and stayed in the moment. It was wonderful to see our fans be here with us [the] whole week and cheer us on. We came back this year and did what we wanted to do. Now, we get ready for the NCAA tournament.”

Three Lions average double figure scoring, paced by Bakir Cleveland at 13.1 points per game, followed by Freddie Young (12.0) and Reggie Hudson at 11 ppg. In the CIAA title game, forward Ethan Garita, scored 15 points while adding five rebounds, and three blocks against Fayetteville State to earn finals MVP while tournament MVP Peter Sorber scored nine points, four blocks and six rebounds.

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