Box Score Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team defeated Chowan University 68-55 in the semi-finals of the 2012 CIAA Tournament on Friday afternoon inside Time Warner Cable Arena. With the victory, JCSU advances to the CIAA Championship game against Shaw University to be played on Saturday, March 3rd at 5:00 p.m. inside TWC Arena.
Prior to the start of the matchup versus Chowan, the Golden Bulls had the opportunity to meet First Lady, Michelle Obama courtside. Mrs. Obama stopped by the arena to observe the tournament atmosphere and promote her “Let's Move!” campaign.
Let's Move is a comprehensive initiative dedicated to solving the problem of obesity within a generation, so that children born today will grow up healthier and able to pursue their dreams.
“It's not every day that you get to meet the first lady,” said JCSU head women's basketball coach Vanessa Taylor. “We were excited. We enjoyed the moment and went back to the locker room and turned the page.”
The first meeting between the Hawks and JCSU was no contest. The Golden Bulls won in a 78-44 rout inside Brayboy Gymnasium on January 4th in their only meeting during the regular season.
In the first half of this game, All-CIAA senior forward/guard
LaQwesha Gamble (Winter Haven, FL) produced 12 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Golden Bulls to a 35-24 halftime lead. Fellow All-CIAA senior guard
Shavonda Price (Fort Wayne, IN) added nine points and senior guard
Terran Quattlebaum (Mitchellville, MD) contributed eight points.
JCSU made 11 of 17 free throws and outscored the Hawks 9-0 off seven turnovers to build their first half lead. The game was close early, but Quattlebaum nailed a three-pointer to cap a 19-6 run for a 35-20 advantage with 1:30 remaining.
The Hawks scored four straight points to end the half. They had a chance to trim their deficit to single digits, but Gamble ended the first half with an emphatic block at the horn.
The Hawks never led in the contest, but continued to fight. After a scoring run that allowed Chowan to draw within nine, the Golden Bulls scored 11 consecutive points capped by a jumper from sophomore forward
LaKendra Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) to push the lead to 66-46 with 2:39 remaining.
Price finished with a game-high 18 points, along with six rebounds to earn Food Lion MVP honors for the game. Gamble had a double-double of 17 points and 15 boards to be awarded the Marines Excellence in Leadership game honor. Quattlebaum concluded her night with 12 points and three rebounds.
Johnson C. Smith is no stranger to success in the tournament. The Golden Bulls have now advanced to the finals six times under Taylor, who is developing a legendary career at JCSU. JCSU won it all in 2009, defeating Bowie State.
The victory sets up a rematch between Johnson C. Smith (22-5) and defending CIAA champion Shaw University. Shaw defeated JCSU 62-56 to win the league crown in 2011. Both teams will meet in the championship game for the fifth time since 2003, with Shaw winning the previous four games.
In addition to being at the helm for the previous four games, Taylor also watched the Lady Bears defeat her team last season in the NCAA regional final to advance to the Elite Eight.
Both teams split during the regular season, winning on their home floor. Johnson C. Smith defeated Shaw 68-66 at on February 4th, but Shaw returned the favor with an 86-56 victory on February 13th in Raleigh, NC.
“Just as we have to prepare for Shaw, Shaw has to prepare for us,” said Taylor, when asked about her chances against Shaw on Saturday. “Both teams will be ready.”
