Antwan Wilkerson (#23) and Robert Williams scored 22 points collectively in the second half to lift JCSU past Belmont Abbey 91-80
Box Score
Belmont, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team topped Belmont Abbey College 91-80 on Saturday, December 21st at the Wheeler Center. JCSU improves to 9-2 overall, while the Crusaders fall to 4-8 in the standings.
The junior combination of forward
Emilio Parks (Ashtabula, OH) and guard
LaMarquis Letchaw (Dallas, TX) propelled the Golden Bulls to an 11-5 lead after five minutes of play. Senior forward
Robert Williams (Atlanta, GA) joined the action by scoring six unanswered points for a 17-5 JCSU advantage; their largest lead of the half.
Belmont Abbey trailed for the entire first half, but drew within one in the last 30 seconds. Chris Davis made a layup to cut the deficit to 41-40. Parks scored on the final Golden Bulls' possession off a pass from junior guard
Dre Huntley (Marshville, NC). JCSU had a 43-40 halftime lead.
Both teams shot over 50% from the field. JCSU went 18-33 (54.5%) from the field and Belmont Abbey connected on 51.6% (16-31) of their shots. Parks was 8-of-12 (67%) from the floor for 18 points in the opening. Letchaw and Williams added 11 and nine points, respectively.
JCSU fell behind for the first time after being outscored 14-9 in the first five minutes of the second half. Davis scored in the paint for a 52-50 lead for the Crusaders. Williams fed Parks on the next series for a monstrous dunk to tie the score. There were three lead changes and four ties over the five minutes.
Senior forward
Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) created some distance for the Golden Bulls with a layup and three-pointer on consecutive possessions. JCSU utilized the frontcourt of Williams, Parks, and Wilkerson to grab a 75-64 lead with 4:35 remaining in the game. From there, Belmont Abbey never got closer than seven points of the lead.
Parks scored 30 points for the second straight game, along with eight rebounds and three assists. Letchaw had 18 points and two assists. Williams chipped in 17 points, five assists, and three steals. Wilkerson concluded the day with 14 points, five boards, and two steals.
Belmont Abbey had five players finish with double digits in points. Davis had a team-high 22 points with nine rebounds. Darryl Durham and Jonathon Garrett each had double-doubles of 16 points and 12 rebounds and 12 points and 11 boards, respectively.
JCSU opens conference play in the New Year against Bowie State University on Saturday, January 4, 2014. Tipoff is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Brayboy Gymnasium. The Golden Bulls finish the first half of the season with a 9-2 record. JCSU had an identical 9-2 record after 11 games during the 2008-09 season.
