Deanna Downer led all scorers with a game-high 19 points in the 59-44 conference road win against Elizabeth City State
Box Score
Elizabeth City, NC – The Johnson C. Smith University women's basketball team extends their winning streak to eight consecutive games after a 59-44 win over Elizabeth City State University on Saturday, January 11th. JCSU improves to 10-4 overall and 5-0 in the conference, while the Lady Vikings drop to 3-11 overall and 0-5 in the CIAA standings.
The game went scoreless for the first four minutes of action. Freshman guard
Quinesha Lynch (Rocky Mount, NC) broke the scoring drought with a three pointer at the 15:56 mark. From there, JCSU scored nine unanswered points for a 9-0 lead. Elizabeth City State eventually rallied back to tie the game 16-16 with 6:36 remaining in the half.
JCSU responded with an 11-3 run to move ahead 27-19 with 2:11 on the clock. The Lady Vikings faced a 30-24 deficit at halftime.
Senior guard
Deanna Downer (Elberton, GA) paced the Golden Bulls with 13 points and two steals in the opening. Junior guard
Shanel Sweet (Land O'Lakes, FL) chipped in 10 points, two assists, and two steals for JCSU. The team shot 43.5% (10-23) from the floor and 53.3% (8-15) from the foul line.
Jasmine Nixon led ECSU with six points as a reserve. DaShera Boone had five points and two assists for the Lady Vikings in the first half.
Elizabeth City State sparked the second half with a 6-0 run to tie the game for the second time (30-30). Lynch drove inside for a layup to reclaim a 32-30 lead for JCSU. The Golden Bulls never looked back after retaking an advantage.
The Golden Bulls led by as much as 16 (55-39) with 4:31 left to play. Sweet closed out the game making two free throws with less than a minute on the clock.
Downer finished with a game-high 19 points, along with five rebounds, four steals, and two assists. Sweet had 13 points, six assists, and two steals. Lynch concluded the game with eight points, four boards, and three steals.
Boone and Chelsey Davis had a team-high 10 points each for Elizabeth City State.
JCSU outscored the Lady Vikings 32-15 off turnovers and 39-22 in points from the reserves. ECSU shot 32% (9-27) from the field, while the Golden Bulls fared slightly better, shooting 38.5% (20-52) from the floor.
The Golden Bulls return to the court to cap their CIAA Northern Division road trip against Virginia State University on Monday, January 13th. Game time is slated for 5:30 p.m. at Daniel Gymnasium on the campus of VSU.
