Despite the loss, Kaylah Gholson stepped up and scored a career-high 17 points in the opening round of the 2013 CIAA Tournament
Box Score
Box Score vs. Lincoln (PA)
Charlotte, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball fell 50-46 to Lincoln University of Pennsylvania in the opening round of the 2013 CIAA Tournament on Tuesday evening at the Time Warner Cable Arena. JCSU closes the season with an 8-18 overall record; while the Lady Lions advance to the quarterfinals to face the No. 1 seed from the Southern Division, Fayetteville State.
At the 13:51 mark of the first half, the Lady Lions took a 17-6 cushion for their largest lead of the contest. It came as a result of a three-point play from Johnson, who buried the free throw after converting a layup.
JCSU answered with a 10-2 run over the next six minutes to pull within three at 19-16. Freshman guard
Ny'Jae Dickerson (Wilmington, DE) made a layup at the 7:10 mark of the period to keep the game at arm's length.
The Lady Lions responded with a 9-3 run to build a 28-19 cushion with 2:07 remaining in the first half. A three-point bucket by Johnson pushed Lincoln to the nine-point advantage. A pair of free throws by Wilkerson cut the deficit to seven before Johnson buried a jumper with 48 ticks remaining to extend it back to nine at 30-21.
Wilkerson scored the final three points of the first half, hitting a layup and burying a free throw with 13 seconds remaining. Lincoln went into the locker room ahead 30-24 at halftime.
Despite trailing 30-24 at halftime, the Golden Bulls outscored Lincoln 22-20 in the second half to keep things close. Several times, JCSU would get within a field goal and even got to within one; but they could never quite get over the hump in the second half.
“I think if we had just come a little more at ease and a little more control in the first half, I think it's a different ballgame,” said JCSU head coach
Stephen Joyner, Jr. “I'm proud of my kids. It's been a long year for us. We are well aware that this is the first time in a long time that we've (JCSU) been ranked fifth and this is the first time in a long time that we've been out in the first round. But it's something I guarantee won't be happening in the future.”
Cynthia Johnson led Lincoln with a game-high 22 points and seven rebounds. Tahlar McIntosh came two points shy of a double-double, finishing with eight points and 10 rebounds in the victory.
Junior guard
Kaylah Gholson (Brooklyn, NY) set a career-high with 17 points along with two assists. Junior forward
LaKendra Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) finished with her sixth double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 boards.
Lincoln's defense played a role in JCSU shooting 25.9% (14-54) from the floor. The Golden Bulls missed all 11 of their three-point attempts. However, the Lady Lions also had shooting woe, going 16-of-48 (33%) from the field.
The victory marks the first time in history that the Lady Lions have won a first round game in the CIAA Tournament. In its previous two seasons as a member of the CIAA, Lincoln has lost in the first round.
