SALISBURY, N.C. - Livingstone women's basketball's season came to an end three weeks ago, as they fell in the opening round of the 2024 Food Lion CIAA Tournament. They took on Bluefield State for the second time this season on day two of the tournament. The team trailed by six at halftime and cut the deficit down to one heading into the fourth, however were unable to pull ahead, falling to the Big Blue, 59-56.
With the loss, the Blue Bears' final record was 7-16 and 5-14 against CIAA competition (playoffs included).
"The season was full of ups and downs but we had a lot of great things that happened as far as us coming together and gelling" said head coach Queen Smith. "Beating Winston-Salem State, Johnson C. Smith and Shaw were among our best highlights this season with us being able to stay in a lot of these games and compete. We just need to get better in doing the little things to ensure that we're getting better heading into next season and turn all those close losses into wins".
With the season coming to an end, there were many positives to take away from this season. Perhaps one of the biggest was the emergence of freshman Nielle Reaves. In her first season, Reaves showed a lot of promise, really coming on in the second half of the season as she consistently proved to be among the team's top scorers. Because of her efforts this season, she was voted CIAA Rookie of the Year, along with being named to the All-CIAA Rookie Team.
Looking ahead, of the 10 players who totaled the most games played, seven are expected to return next season. Four of the team's top-five scorers are expected to return, with the lone exception being Jamiah Lane.
The season was filled with promise and head coach Queen Smith is excited for what the future holds in store for her squad.
"I'm excited looking ahead to next season" said Smith. "We have a good nucleus of young ladies returning that got valuable experience on the floor and stepped up. Morgan Kelson, Bria Griffith, Thalia Carter, and our conference Rookie of the Year Nielle Reaves are among the reasons our future looks bright with the players that are returning and we're just looking to fill in the gaps in a few areas that'll help develop our team and create a competitive environment next year".
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