Racquel Davis had a career night with 23 points and 16 rebounds in the 79-66 season finale win over Livingstone
Box Score vs. Livingstone
Salisbury, NC – The No. 24 ranked Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team concluded the regular season with a 79-66 divisional win over Livingstone College on Saturday afternoon inside a packed Trent Gymnasium. The CIAA Southern Division champion Lady Golden Bulls improve to 22-3 overall, 15-3 in the CIAA, and 8-2 in the division; while the Lady Blue Bears fall to 16-9 overall, 10-7 conference, and 4-6 in the division.
Both teams were somewhat sloppy offensively in the first half. JCSU shot 30% (10-33) from the floor and only 43% (6-14) from the foul line. Livingstone was better from the free throw line at 57% (4-7), but only shot 29% (9-31) from the field. J.C. Smith held a small 27-23 advantage at halftime.
Junior guard
Terran Quattlebaum (Mitchellville, MD) had the high at the break with eight points.
Johnson C. Smith outscored the Lady Blue Bears 15-7 in the first five and half minutes of the second period. Livingstone allowed too much scoring inside and trailed by double digit from the 15:10 mark until the conclusion of the contest. JCSU outperformed Livingstone 26-16 in the paint and 26-15 in bench points in the second half alone.
Freshman CIAA All-Rookie selection
Racquel Davis (Bamberg, Germany) emerged in the second period to score 21 points for a game-high double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds. Davis surpassed her previous career high in scoring of 15, which she set against Livingstone this season in Brayboy.
Quattlebaum finished with 16 points and four rebounds, followed by senior guard
Shakeena Cunningham (Buffalo, NY) with 11 points and three assists. Junior All-CIAA selection
LaQwesha Gamble (Winter Haven, FL) ended the night with eight boards and seven points.
Livingstone received the bulk of their scoring from Rashida Elbourne and Kelcyn Manurs, each produced 11 points apiece. The Lady Blue Bears lost the rebounding battle 56-47.
“This was a good way to close out the regular season with a win; I thought we showed a lot of mental toughness, especially in the second half,” said head coach
Vanessa Taylor. “We got to get prepared for next week and be able to play two solid halves for the tournament.”
The 22-victories this season eclipses the 21-10 mark Coach Taylor set at JCSU during the 2007-08 season. It also matches her most wins in a season for her career. Taylor led Elizabeth City State to a 22-5 record during the 1999-2000 season. She won CIAA Coach of the Year in 1999 and looks to be the leading candidate for the award this year.
“It's been a total team effort; all the honors and accolades awarded both to individuals and our team has been the result of a collaborative team effort,” concluded Taylor.
Johnson C. Smith will enter the 2011 CIAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed from the Southern Division. A release of the tournament bracket with complete seeds and scheduling on Sunday, February 27th. The 2011 CIAA Tournament will take place February 28th until March 5th at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte, NC. For more information, please visit www.goldenbullsports.com .
