Staff report

Undefeated for three months, Livingstone’s women’s basketball program lost 18 games in a matter of seconds on Saturday when  the school self-reported to the NCAA and CIAA the use of an “uncertified” player.

“We rely on our athletics department to be vigilant in making sure our athletics programs comply with NCAA standards, and it is now clear to me that the department did not live up to our expectations,” Dr. Jimmy Jenkins said in a press release. “The protection of the welfare and integrity of our great institution is at the center of our mission.”

Jenkins accepted the resignation of the associate director of athletics-compliance and  issued a letter of reprimand to AD Andre Springs and placed him on probation for one year.

The player involved, Kyra Crosby, was an extraordinary talent for the Division II level. She scored 15 points for Alabama a few years ago in an SEC game against Tennessee. Crosby was enrolled at Georgia State after  leaving Alabama and transferred to Livingstone from Georgia State.

 The 6-foot-1 Crosby was leading the Blue Bears in scoring and rebounding and was the most special player on a team with a number of  outstanding athletes, including several other transfers.

Livingstone’s national ranking under first-year head coach Anita Howard reached No. 5  among D-II schools and the Blue Bears’ victory streak reached  a record-setting 22, but there was concern after Livingstone played  recent games without Crosby.

On Jan. 24, with Livingstone playing strong rival Johnson C. Smith at home, Crosby sat out. She was on the bench, although not in uniform. Coach Howard explained that Crosby wasn’t feeling well. Livingstone won a tough game without her.

Crosby also didn’t play in Livingstone’s romp at  St. Augustine’s on Jan. 28, but she returned to action and helped the Blue Bears win at Winston-Salem State on Jan. 31.

Then Crosby sat out two more games — a close home win against Shaw on Feb. 7 and a one-point escape at Fayetteville State last Wednesday.

After Saturday’s revelations, those four recent games in which Crosby did not participate are now Livingstone’s only four victories.  Officially, the Blue Bears’s record dropped to 4-18.

Livingstone was scheduled to play at J.C. Smith on Saturday. While the men’s teams played as scheduled,  the women’s game was postponed until Sunday afternoon. Livingstone led it by 14 points with 14 minutes left, but lost 70-66.

Would Crosby have made the difference? Probably.

Labrea Walker hit five 3-pointers and scored 17 for the Blue Bears. Amber Curtis scored 14. Aliyah Grinage, who has replaced Crosby in the lineup in recent games, scored 11.

Anika Jones scored 18 for J.C. Smith. Former Salisbury standout Bubbles Phifer hit two 3-pointers and scored nine for the Golden Bulls.

Livingstone was dealing with playing without its best player, with playing a good team on the road and no doubt with the mental drain of all those runaway wins suddenly turning into forfeit losses.

CIAA teams play the non-conference portion of the season to prepare for the conference season. They play the conference season  to seed teams for the CIAA tournament. The tournament is everything, a massive event and spectacle as well as showcase for basketball games that determine the league’s automatic — and sometimes only — representative in the Division II playoffs.

With Crosby, Livingstone would have been a No. 1 seed and an overwhelming favorite to win the tournament. Now the tournament becomes a free-for-all, but Livingstone still could win it, if it can regroup. While the Blue Bears will miss Crosby’s springy stickbacks and defensive presence, they still have four excellent guards.

Livingstone won’t be the bottom seed in the tournament. All four of the Blue Bears’ wins are divisional wins, and the tournament is seeded based on divisional record. Livingstone is 4-4 in the division, even after losing to J.C. Smith on Sunday.

Livingstone plays two more divisional games before the tournament. Both are home games — versus St. Augustine’s on Wednesday and against Winston-Salem State on Saturday.

On Sunday, a day after  Livingstone announced it was forfeiting that  impressive pile of victories, Crosby sent a notice of intent to appeal to CIAA Commissioner Jacqie McWilliams and the CIAA Infractions Appeals Committee.