LaMarquis Letchaw finished with 18 points, including 16 points in the second half alone to help JCSU pull out a 78-75 overtime road win over Elizabeth City State
Box Score
Elizabeth City, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team pulls out a 78-75 overtime victory against Elizabeth City State University on Saturday, January 11th at the R.L. Vaughan Center. JCSU improves to 11-4 overall and 3-2 in the CIAA, while the Vikings move to 7-8 overall and 2-3 in the conference standings.
JCSU jumped out to a 14-6 lead in the first five minutes of competition against the Vikings. Junior forward
Emilio Parks (Ashtabula, OH) produced back to back baskets in the post for the eight point advantage. Elizabeth City State responded strongly with a 12-2 scoring run. DeCarlos Anderson nailed a three pointer to give ECSU an 18-16 lead with 10:52 left in the half.
The Vikings hung tough down the stretch in the opening and went into halftime ahead 36-30. JCSU shot 37% (13-35) from the field, compared to 31% (12-39) for Elizabeth City State. Parks had a team-high of 10 in the first half.
ECSU had a fast start to the second half. A three pointer from Glenn Patterson with 17:27 on the clock increased the Vikings' lead to 47-34.
The Golden Bulls began chipping away at the deficit around the 14-minute mark. Senior forward
Robert Williams (Atlanta, GA) scored a layup following a media timeout to spark the scoring run. Junior guard
LaMarquis Letchaw (Dallas, TX) followed suit with a layup on the next possession and then a three pointer at the 12:15 mark.
JCSU scored 13 unanswered points over a five minute stretch. Williams made one of two free throws with 10:08 on the clock to tie the game 54-54. However, Elizabeth City State retaliated with a 7-0 run of their own to reclaim a 61-54 lead.
Sophomore
Raston Brown (Hephzibah, GA) checked in and provided some pivotal points for the Golden Bulls to draw closer. First, Brown converted a traditional three point play with a layup and made free throw. He also scored on the next possession to cut the JCSU deficit to 69-65 with 1:39 left to play in regulation.
The Vikings failed to score on their next offensive series and then fouled Letchaw. He made two free throws with 1:04 remaining to make the score 69-67. Patterson committed a turnover on the opposite end for ECSU. Letchaw came down and unconsciously drilled a three pointer for a 70-69 JCSU lead with 31 seconds left in regulation. It was the first Golden Bull lead since 6:31 in the first half.
Anderson got to the hoop for the Vikings and Parks was called for a foul. Anderson missed his first foul shot, but made the second for a 70-70 tie with three seconds remaining. The contest headed to overtime. This would be the second consecutive overtime game for JCSU and their fourth of the season.
Parks scored the first four points of the extra period with a layup and two free throws. Junior guard
Dre Huntley (Marshville, NC) chipped in four more points with two free throws and a layup with 17 seconds remaining. The Golden Bulls outscored ECSU 8-5 in overtime and led for three and half minutes of the five minute frame.
Parks had a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. Letchaw finished with 18 points, seven boards, and three assists. Contributions from Williams with 10 points and fellow senior forward
Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) grabbing 13 rebounds, including 12 defensive, helped lift the Golden Bulls to victory.
Four Vikings had double figures in points led by Dominique Byrd with 16 points and nine rebounds. Darrell Ward pitched in a double-double of 15 points and 11 boards.
The Golden Bulls shot 44.6% (29-65) from the field for the game and out-rebounded ECSU 50-42, including a 37-26 advantage in defensive rebounding. JCSU also connected on 71% (15-21) of their free throw attempts.
JCSU returns to action on Monday, January 13th against Virginia State University. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. inside Daniel Gymnasium on the campus of VSU.
