CHARLOTTE – For the first time in six years the Chowan University women’s basketball team will play a second game at the CIAA Tournament. Also for the first time the women’s team has achieved 20 wins on the season in NCAA Division-II.

Dhyamond Crenshaw’s free throw with five seconds left in overtime sealed the 59-57 win for the Lady Hawks who led by as many as 15 points early in the contest over the Lady Bulldogs of Bowie (MD) State.

Jordan Payne led Chowan with 16 points before fouling out with little more than a minute left in the extra period. Crenshaw finished with 13 points, as did Alisha Mobley, who also had a double-double with 10 rebounds.

Kiara Colston had 28 points for Bowie, who ended the game with just four players on the floor. Only seven total Lady Bulldogs were dressed out for the game and three of those fouled out.

“Our kids just found a way to win,” said an exhausted coach Pat Mashuda after the game. “They played with a lot of heart and just kept plugging away.”

After Chowan opened the game 5-0, Bowie fought back to get within one at 5-4 before ending the first quarter trailing the Hawks 13-10.

Chowan opened the second quarter on a tear, outscoring the Lady Bulldogs 14-2 to lead it by 15 points, 27-12. But Bowie came back to only trail by eight at halftime, 30-22.

Bowie exploded in the third quarter, first getting it down to a one-point game in the first two minutes, 20-29; but Chowan stormed back to lead by seven midway thru the period, 38-31. Still Bowie’s defense and poor Chowan shooting whittled it down to one-point by the end of the quarter, 44-43.

Chowan took a four-point lead (49-45) with 6:30 left in regulation before Bowie mounted another comeback and tied it at 49-all with 3:40 left on a Colston lay-up. It was tied at 50-50 at the 2:47 mark when the second of two free throws gave Bowie its first lead of the game 51-50. Payne then made one of two free throws that sent the game to overtime.

In the extra frame it was back-and-forth with Bowie taking a 57-56 lead on a pair of free throws. At 54 seconds, Danielle Weldon’s put back returned the lead to the Hawks. Jada Lee stole the inbounds pass and then Crenshaw was fouled, leaving Bowie with just four players on the floor. After making one-of-two, Bowie missed their last shot and the put back, sending the Hawks on to round-two.

On Thursday, Chowan (20-8) will play the winner of the Winston-Salem State-Shaw game in the CIAA semi-finals. The WSS-Shaw game was not completed by News-Herald press time on Wednesday night.