CIAA Player of the Year Mark Thomas scored 28 points and Jody Hill added 14 as Livingstone survived a late Fayetteville State run for a 79-73 men’s basketball win in the semifinals of the CIAA tournament in Charlotte.
The victory put the Blue Bears in tonight’s 8:30 p.m. championship game against rival Winston-Salem State.
It’s possible that only the tournament winner will represent the CIAA in the D-II playoffs.
The Blue Bears (20-7)will be aiming for their first conference crown in school history tonight.
Food Lion game MVP Emarri Bailey had 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Blue Bears, and Eric Mayo finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Anthony Welch scored 10 points and snatched eight rebounds, and Hill pulled down seven rebounds.
Mayo made two big free throws. He swished one of two at the charity stripe for a 76-73 Blue Bears lead with 23 seconds left. After coming up with a steal, Mayo made one of two free throws for a 77-73 lead with 20 seconds remaining.
The Broncos (19-10) reeled off 18 straight at one point.
“Fatigue started to set in,” Livingstone coach James Stinson said. “If you miss, they are running a layup drill.”
Tyrrel Tate scored 19 for Fayetteville State.

Belmont Abbey’s Samantha Jacobs (North Rowan) struck out 13 and pitched a three-hitter in a 3-0 win against Erskine.
Kaitlyn Jones (South Rowan) went 3-for-4 with a homer and two RBIs as the Crusaders finished a sweep with a 6-3 victory.
John J. Tuttle (A.L. Brown) pitched Catawba to a 2-1 win against Lenoir-Rhyne on Friday. Tuttle struck out 12 and didn’t allow an earned run.
• Brian Bauk (Salisbury) was 1-for-2 and scored the only run for Appalachian State in Friday’s 2-1 loss to Youngstown State in Cary.
• Charlotte’s Corbin Shive (East Rowan) is back on the mound after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
Shive allowed one earned run in four innings in the 49ers’ 5-2 loss to College of Charleston.
South Rowan moved to 2-0 with an 8-3 SPC win at Northwest Cabarrus Friday to sweep their series.
The Raiders scored five runs in the sixth inning to come back from a 3-2 deficit.Tyler Fuller tied the game with a key two-hit hit and Chandler Corriher drove in the go-ahead run.
“I’m proud of the guys for fighting hard all the way to the end,” South coach Thad Chrismon said.
“I thought our pitchers kept us in the game and we played good defense.”
Bryan Hallman was the winning pitcher, throwing three scoreless innings. Matt Honeycutt and Eric Goldstein had three hits each for South.

At Northwest Cabarrus
S. Rowan 011 005 1 — 8
NWC 003 000 0 — 3
WP — Bryan Hallman 1-0 (3 innings, 3 hits, 2 strikeouts, 0 runs, 0 walks). LP — Barrows (12/3 innings, 3 hits, 5 runs, 4 earned runs, 2 walks, 2 strikeouts). Leading hitters — South: Matt Honeycutt 3-4, 2B, RBI; Eric Goldstein 3-4; Chandler Corriher 2-5. NWC: Bost 2-4.

• Cox Mill shut out East Rowan 4-0 in a rematch of Tuesday’s South Piedmont Conference duel to split the series.
Julian Smith had two hits for the Chargers and Austin Fox pitched a complete game. CM scored four times in the second inning in the 98-minute contest.
East pitcher Harrison Bell was tagged with the loss. Chase Jarrett threw 5 1/3 scoreless innings for East in relief. Michael Caldwell, Ike Freeman and Dustin Ritchie had hits for East.

At East Rowan
Cox Mill 040 000 0 — 4
E. Rowan 000 000 0 — 0
WP—Austin Fox 1-0 (7 innings, 3 hits, 8 strikeouts, 1 walk). LP — Harrison Bell 0-1 (12/3 innings, 4 runs, 2 hits, 2 strikeouts, 4 walks). Leading hitters — East: Michael Caldwell 1-3, Ike Freeman 1-3, Dustin Ritchie 1-3; Cox Mill: Julian Smith 2-3 RBI, David Newton 1-4 2RBI, Chris Wright 1-3.
• Bryson Pugh scored on a suicide squeeze in the 10th inning by Michael Morrison as Carson beat Central Cabarrus 1-0 Friday night to sweep their two-game series.
• West Rowan defeated Mooresville 6-5 in non-conference baseball.
• Davie County defeated Salisbury 11-5 at home Friday by scoring all its runs in the first three innings.
Jared Wolfe picked up the win on the mound for the War Eagles (2-0) and Luke Martin drove in a pair of runs. Charlie Muchukot and Brandon Lankford collected two hits apiece.
Ryan Jones and Riley Myers each hit home runs for the Hornets, who fell to 1-1.
At Davie County
Salisbury 103 100 0 — 5
Davie Co. 443 000 0 — 11
WP—Jared Wolfe 1-0 (4 innings, 2 hits, 0 earned runs, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts). LP — Clay Swain 0-1 (3 innings, 7 hits, 5 walks, 10 earned runs, 3 strikeouts). Leading hitters — Davie: Charlie Muchukot 2-4, 2 runs, 2 stolen bases; Luke Martin 1-2, 2RBI; Brandon Lankford 2-4. Salisbury: Ryan Jones 2-3, 2runs, 3RBI, double, home run; Riley Myers 1-4, home run.

Catawba’s teams close the regular season tonight at Lincoln Memorial with games at 6 and 8 p.m.
The men’s didn’t qualify for the SAC tournament, but the women’s team is still competing to host a home game in the first round.
David Thamez made a hole-in-one at Corbin Hills on Tuesday.
Thamez aced the 172-yard No. 2 hole with an 8-iron.
Jim Board Jr. witnessed the shot. It was the fourth career ace for Thamez.
Knox’s girls beat Southeast 37-12.
Essence Summer had 12 points for the Trojans, Keajah Wright scored nine, and Jineka Glenn had a strong defensive effort.
• Erwin’s girls beat North Rowan Middle 42-34.
Laura Weinsel scored 17 points for the Eagles, and Maddie Trexler had 16. Zynoria Winford added seven.
Bil’Lizah Connor scored 24 for the Mavericks, and McKenzie Shoaf scored six.
• West Rowan Middle’s boys rolled 54-9 against Corriher-Lipe.
West was up 22-2 at halftime.
Anthony Chance led the Bulldogs with 15 points. Robert Caldwell scored eight, Cole Hales had seven, DeVae Vaughn had six, and Carson Bailey added five.
Chance had six rebounds, while Eligah Graham grabbed five. Caldwell had five assists and three steals.
Kory Moss led the Yellow Jackets with four points.