LaTondra Morrow (with the ball) made some necessary free throws down the stretch, but Karnina Bunch scored a team-high 22 points and made the game-winning layup in the closing seconds for a 73-72 win over Paine College
Box Score
Augusta, GA – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team trumped Paine College 73-72 on Thursday, November 21st at the Heal Complex. JCSU improves to 1-3 in the standings, while the Lady Lions fall to 1-2 overall.
The first half had a back and forth pace until midway through the period. Freshman forward
Kaila Duarte (Boston, MA) created some separation with back to back baskets. First, she scored with a turnaround layup in the post and then followed up with a 14-foot jumper on the next possession. JCSU held a 14-11 advantage with less than 12 minutes left in the initial period.
The frontcourt combination of sophomore center
Ashley Porter (Winston-Salem, NC) and junior forward
Chelsea Faulhaber (Spartanburg, SC) established a low-post defensive presence. Combined the duo had five first half blocks and five defensive rebounds.
JCSU went into the locker room at halftime with a 34-26 lead over the Lady Lions. Senior guard
Karnina Bunch (Vicksburg, MS) set the pace with a first half team-high of 13 points. Duarte recorded six points and three rebounds, while Porter pitched in five points, four rebounds, and three blocks.
The Golden Bulls shot 40% (14-35) from the floor, despite shooting 0-for-4 from the three point line. Paine had a 23.7% (9-38) shooting performance from the field and shot 66% (6-9) from the foul line. JCSU won the rebounding battle 29-25, but only connected on 50% (6-12) of their free throws.
Paine trailed for the majority of the second half. A layup in transition from Faulhaber put the Golden Bulls ahead 69-60 with 2:56 on the clock. The Lady Lions sparked a 7-0 scoring run to draw within one possession. Sophomore guard
LaTondra Morrow (Charlotte, NC) went 1-of-2 from the free throw line after being fouled near the one minute mark.
JCSU held a 70-67 lead until Ariel Brown converted a layup and was fouled on the play. Brown completed the three-point play to tie the game 70-70. The Golden Bulls failed to score on the next possession. Ashley Watts drew a foul under the basket and made both free throws to give Paine a 72-70 lead with 31.4 seconds remaining.
Morrow made 1-of-2 free throws again after drawing contact on the next offensive series. Paine had a missed shot attempt and the Golden Bulls grabbed the defensive rebound with 13 seconds until time expired. Without calling a timeout, head coach
Stephen Joyner, Jr. allowed the ball to stay in the hands of Bunch.
Without flinching, Bunch attacked the rim and made a right-handed layup for a 73-72 JCSU lead with four seconds left in regulation. A last second shot attempt by the Lady Lions missed the target and Johnson C. Smith women's basketball broke into the win column for the first time this season.
Bunch finished with a team and season-high 22 points, shooting 60% (9-15) from the field. Senior guard
Deanna Downer (Elberton, GA) scored nine points in the second half to conclude the contest with 12 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Duarte ended with eight points and Porter dropped in seven points, seven boards, and three blocks.
"I'm glad we persevered and pulled out this win," said Coach Joyner, Jr. "It's early in the season, but we've already been through a similar experience this year. I didn't call a timeout in the final seconds because I wanted to demonstrate my trust in my players. The team will celebrate the win tonight, but my mind is already geared toward North Greenville."
JCSU will return to action on Tuesday, November 26th for their home opener against North Greenville University. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at Brayboy Gymnasium.
