Karnina Bunch (#3) had a career-high 25 points in the 74-55 win over Paine College in Brayboy Gymnasium
Box Score
Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team trumped Paine College for a 74-55 non-conference win on Saturday, December 7th at Brayboy Gymnasium. JCSU improves to 3-4 overall, while the Lady Lions fall to 1-6 in the standings.
The Golden Bulls pretty much dominated this contest. Even though Paine proved to be a worthy opponent and held a lead in the first half. Freshman guard
LaTondra Morrow (Charlotte, NC) dished to senior guard
Karnina Bunch (Vicksburg, MS) on the break for a layup. The shot by Bunch gave JCSU a 15-10 advantage with 11:19 to play.
Paine scored six unanswered points over the next three minutes for a 17-16 lead. The Golden Bulls faced a 20-17 deficit after a converted field goal from Lashonda Canty. However, freshman
Quinesha Lynch (Rocky Mount, NC) penetrated the lane and scored to trim the deficit. Sophomore center
Ashley Porter (Winston-Salem, NC) recaptured the lead for JCSU with an old-fashioned three-point play at the 5:31 mark.
JCSU led by as much as nine before ending the first half with a 32-26 advantage. The Golden Bulls shot 42.4% (14-33) from the floor, compared to 26% (10-38) shooting for Paine. Bunch had a team-high nine points at the break, followed by junior center
Chelsea Faulhaber (Spartanburg, SC) and Lynch with six points each.
The Golden Bulls accelerated past Paine in the second half. Bunch nailed a three pointer with 9:52 on the clock for a 52-42 lead. JCSU held a double digit advantage after that shot for the remainder of the game.
The 19-point margin of victory sets the new mark as the biggest win for head coach
Stephen Joyner, Jr. In the midst of his second year at JCSU, Joyner, Jr. led the Golden Bulls to a 60-42 win over Chowan in his initial season. His largest overall margin of victory came with a 94-44 win over Lincoln (PA) as head coach at Winston-Salem State University.
Bunch recorded a new career-high of 25 points, scoring 16 points in the second half. She shot 8-of-12 from the field, including 4-of-7 from the three point line. This is the third 20-plus points shooting performance for Bunch on the season. She is averaging 17.6 points per game in six contests played.
Faulhaber had a full stat line of 13 points, seven rebounds, and four blocks. She shot 75% (6-8) from the field. Senior guard
Deanna Downer (Elberton, GA) produced eight points and five boards in the second half alone to finish with 12 points, seven assists, six rebounds, and three steals.
JCSU shot 46% (28-61) from the floor on the evening. Paine won the battle on the glass with a 56-47 edge in rebounding. The Lady Lions were 30% (21-70) from the field. Ashley Watts led the team in scoring with 18 points on 6-of-27 (22%) shooting. Watts entered the matchup leading the nation with a 32.2 scoring average.
The Golden Bulls return to action on Thursday, December 12th against Claflin University. JCSU will travel to Orangeburg, SC for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff with the Lady Panthers.
