Deanna Downer led the Golden Bulls in scoring with 11 points in the 52-47 loss to Belmont Abbey
Box Score
Box Score vs. Belmont Abbey
Belmont, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team falls 52-47 to Belmont Abbey College on Saturday afternoon at the Wheeler Center. JCSU moves to 3-5 overall, while the Crusaders improve to 3-2 in the standings.
The Golden Bulls held as much as a four-point lead until midway through the first half. Two free throws from sophomore forward
Brinee' Dancer (Duncanville, TX) gave JCSU a 12-8 advantage with 10:17 on the clock. Belmont eventually moved ahead with back to back scores, including a three pointer from Caitlyn Ranson.
With 7:47 remaining in the opening, senior guard
Brittany Dorsett (Winston-Salem, NC) put the Golden Bulls in front again with a three from the right wing. Throughout the duration of the first half it was a back and forth exchange between both squads. Noel Bullock scored the last basket of the period for the Crusaders to tie the game 25-25 going into the locker room.
JCSU shot 45.5% (10-22) from the floor in the opening, compared to 39% (11-28) shooting for Belmont. However, the Crusaders won the rebounding battle 17-13 and outscored JCSU 8-3 in second chance points and 14-5 in points off the bench. Junior guard
Deanna Downer (Elberton, GA) set the pace with 11 points off 5-of-6 shooting and three assists.
The second half strongly resembled the first until the Golden Bulls became unraveled in the final six minutes. After a free throw from junior forward
LaKendra Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC), Belmont scored 10 unanswered points for a 48-42 lead with 4:28 left to play.
The ball game remained unsettled until the final seconds. Freshman
LaTondra Morrow (Charlotte, NC) grabbed an offensive rebound and went back up for a layup in the paint. The bucket cut JCSU's deficit to one score (50-47) with 14 seconds on the clock. The Golden Bulls took their final timeout to regroup on defense.
The timeout ended up being a catch 22. It paid off because junior guard
Karnina Bunch (Vicksburg, MS) made a steal on the baseline; however she was tripped between two Belmont defenders. Bunch panicked and signaled for a timeout. With no timeouts remaining, JCSU was issued a technical foul and the Crusaders made both free throw attempts. The shots from the foul line secured the victory for Belmont.
Downer went 0-for-5 in the second half, but finished with a team-high 11 points. Wilkerson nearly closed in on a double-double with 11 rebounds and eight points. Morgan Midkiff led Belmont with a game-high 21 points and five rebounds.
JCSU returns home for a duel with Chowan University on Monday, December 17th. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Brayboy Gymnasium. The Golden Bulls are 2-0 at home and topped Chowan 46-41 in Murfreesboro, NC earlier this season.
