Tickets for the 2025 CIAA Tournament are on sale
The Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) tournament has announced that tickets for the 2025 showdown are now available.
According to a press release, the CIAA, the nation's oldest historically Black athletic conference, will return to Baltimore, Maryland, for the 2025 Food Lion CIAA Men's and Women's Championship Basketball Tournament, scheduled for February 25 to March 1 at the CFG Arena.
To help students and fans afford tickets, the release states there will be a "Back to School" sale offering $75 off all-session general admission tickets using the code SCHOOL75. The sale runs from September 25 to October 9 exclusively at the tournament website, ciaatournament.org.
Additionally, the all-session pass is currently discounted by $100, granting access to every game during the tournament.
Last spring, the tournament featured exciting matchups, with the Lincoln Lions men's basketball team claiming the championship by defeating the Fayetteville State Broncos. The Lady Broncos won the women's title, besting the Elizabeth City State Lady Vikings.
The Lions are poised to make another strong showing, backed by local support in Baltimore, where the tournament has been held since 2021. They will rely on standout players like 6-foot-9 forward Peter Sorber, who was named the 2024 CIAA Men's Tournament MVP, and 6-foot-9 forward Ethan Garita, the 2024 Food Lion Men's Championship MVP.
Sorber finished the season with 225 points,14 steals,38 blocks,13 assists and 130 total rebounds.Garita finished the season with 216 points, six steals, seven blocks, six assists and 91 total rebounds.
On the women's side, the Lady Broncos will seek to fill the gap left by shooting guard Aniylah Bryant, a native of Havelock, North Carolina, who was the CIAA Player of the Year. Bryant averaged 17.3 points per game and led the conference with 122 steals, ranking first in Division II in steals per game. She was also named Tournament Most Valuable Player, averaging 22.6 points over three games.
Keayna McLaughlin and Morgan Graham, now seniors, are expected to lead the Broncos this season. McLaughlin scored 17 points and had four rebounds and two steals in the championship game. Graham, the Women's Defensive Player of the Year, recorded one point, one steal, two blocks, and three assists in the title game but finished the season with 146 defensive rebounds, 24 steals, 90 blocks, 27 assists, and 220 points.
The upcoming tournament marks a significant milestone, as it will be the 50th women's basketball tournament since its inception in 1975. For the CIAA, it represents the 80th annual CIAA Basketball Tournament.
The season will kick off with the annual Basketball Media Day on Monday, October 7, at the Under Armour Campus in Baltimore.
