Junior guard Ronald Thornhill finished one dime short of a double-double with 25 points, five rebounds, and nine assists
GOLDEN BULLS LULLABY ST. PAUL’S IN A 92-71 CONFERENCE WIN IN BRAYBOY
JCSU wins two straight
Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team grabbed their first conference victory this season with a 92-71 blowout against Saint Paul's College inside Brayboy Gymnasium Tuesday evening. JCSU improves to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the CIAA, while the Tigers drop to 1-5 in the standings and 0-4 in the conference.
St. Paul's put up a good fight early in the first period. Five minutes into the ball game, the Tigers held a 13-7 lead off a lay-up from Ibn-Saeed Rasoull. With 4:27 on the clock, Roger Lassiter caught an alley-oop to tie the game for the fifth time at 25. Junior guard
Ronald Thornhill (Alberta, VA) broke the tie with his third of four three-pointers in the first half.
Thornhill hit his fourth three with less than a minute remaining, which helped JCSU go into halftime with a 36-31 lead. At the break, Thornhill was 4-for-5 from the three point line with three rebounds. Senior forward and reigning CIAA Player of the Week
Brian Mobley had seven points and three boards.
The Golden Bulls held a double digit for the majority of the second half. JCSU had four scored in double figures and all nearly captured a double-double. Thornhill finished with a game-high 25 points, five rebounds, and nine assists. Senior forwards
Jerry Hollis (Charlotte, NC) and
James Dillard (Apex, NC ) combined for 37 points and 18 boards.
Hollis had 17 points and nine rebounds, while Dillard ended the night with 20 points, nine boards, and three blocks. Dillard is averaging a team-high 14 points per game, followed by Hollis averaging 13.1 ppg. Mobley concluded the game with 15 points, seven rebounds, and two steals.
Lassiter had a team-high 25 points, followed by Kendrick Williams with 19 for the Tigers.
Last season, St. Paul's sweep J.C. Smith in both games during the regular season. The Golden Bulls earn the first conference victory over the Tigers in impressive fashion this year. JCSU defeated Lincoln (PA) earlier this season, but that contest does not qualify as a CIAA contest.
Johnson C. Smith returns to the court one more time before the semester break on Thursday, November 17, 2009. The Golden Bulls will face nearby Catawba College inside Brayboy Gymnasium at 7:00 pm.
