Shakira Clarke finished with a team-high 11 points and eight rebounds in a 39-38 division win over Shaw
Box Score
Charlotte, NC - The Lady Golden Bulls basketball team held on a 39-38 divisional win against the Lady Bears of Shaw University on Thursday evening inside Brayboy Gymnasium. Johnson C. Smith improves to 15-6 overall, 8-6 in the CIAA, and 2-2 in the Western Division; while SU drops to 12-7 overall, 7-6 in the conference, and 1-2 in the West. The last time these two teams met, J.C. Smith defeated SU 74-66 in quarterfinals round of the 2009 CIAA Tournament.
JCSU opened the game with an 8-0 run over the Lady Bears lasting until 16:42. With good ball movement and penetration, the Lady Golden Bulls managed to keep the lead. Approximately 10 minutes into the first period, Shaw struggled to make a basket. The Lady Bears fought back with a 5-0 run and tighten the scoring gap.
With a little more than two minutes left in the half, the Lady Bears tied the game at 17 apiece. At the 1:16 mark, SU gained the lead, but senior guard
Shakira Clarke (Toronto, Canada) responded with the answer.
Both teams went into the locker room at the half tied up at 21-21. Junior forward/center
Brittane Neely (Arlington, VA), senior forward
Demetria Bell (Indianapolis, IN), and Clarke each contributed with four points for Johnson C. Smith. Leading Shaw with eight points was senior Tanisha McGaughey. JCSU outscored Shaw 12-6 inside the paint.
In the second half, the Lady Bears made a drastic turn around with a 28-24 lead. With defensive pressure on the ball, the Lady Golden Bulls battled for a basket until 11:40 into the half trailing by two. A big play from Clarke obtained a game tying bucket. Sophomore
Terran Quattlebaum helped regain the lead with two back-to-back three pointers.
A pivotal moment in the game allowed the Lady Bears a chance to score on a three point play attempt. With 8.2 seconds left the Lady Golden Bulls lead by one. J.C. Smith forced turnover in the final seconds and won the game.
Clarke finished with a team-high 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Quattlebaum pitched in with eight points, followed by Neely with eight boards and five points.
Tanisha McGaughey finished with a game-high 16 points in this low scoring affair.
Johnson C. Smith returns to action on Saturday, February 6, 2010 when they face cross-town divisional rival Livingstone College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 pm inside the Trent Gymnasium in Salisbury, NC.
