Ronald Thornhill had the hot hand with a team-high 18 points in the 78-72 win over Washington Adventist
Box Score
Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team started off the 2010 season with a 78-72 victory against Washington Adventist University on Saturday evening during the Claude Saunders/Wendy's JCSU Tip-off Classic inside Brayboy Gymnasium. The Golden Bulls spark the season 1-0, while WAU moves to 0-3 on the year.
JCSU fought off the offensive attack from Washington Adventist in the first half. The Shock trailed 36-30 going into the locker room at the break, but came out gunning in the second. Senior guard
Ronald Thornhill (Alberta, VA) seemed comfortable in his role as a leader or at least as the main scorer. Thornhill had a team-high nine points at the half, followed by sophomore guard
Trevin Parks (Hickory, NC) with six points and three assists.
In the second, Khalid Martin hit a jumper from the wing with 18:10 on the clock to give WAU a 42-40 lead. Both teams traded scores for the next three minutes until the Golden Bulls began to pull away. A jumper from Thornhill, a lay-up from Parks, and two free throws apiece from senior center
Earl Jackson (Temple Hills, MD) and sophomore forward
Calvin Smith (Auburn AL) were all unanswered for an 8-0 run.
J.C. Smith held a 71-62 advantage with 1:40 left to play, but the Shock closed in with two three point plays. First, Martin had three the old fashion way with a jumper, drawing a foul, and making the free throw. Eric Peguero drained a three on the next offensive possession to bring Washington Adventist within three (71-68) with 1:17 remaining.
The Golden Bulls worked the clock on the remaining possessions and sealed the victory with solid free throw shooting in the final seconds.
Thornhill concluded the contest with a team-high 18 points, including 5-for-5 shooting at the charity stripe. Freshman forward
Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) had 12 points, four assists, and two steals in his JCSU debut. Parks also had an impressive debut with 11 points, five assists, and three rebounds.
Johnson C. Smith shot 57.8% (26-45) from the field, compared to just 43.8% (28-64) for WA Adventist.
The Golden Bulls jump back on the court for day two of the JCSU Tip-off Classic on Sunday, November 21st against Newberry College. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. inside Brayboy Gymnasium. Newberry also earned a victory earlier in the day against St. Paul's College.
