Antwan Wilkerson finished with 13 points, six boards (all defensive), and a block in the 67-57 road loss to Virginia State
Box Score
Ettrick, VA – The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team suffered a tough 67-57 conference loss to Virginia State University on Monday, January 13th at Daniel Gymnasium. JCSU moves to 11-5 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA, while the Trojans improve to 9-7 overall and 2-4 in the conference.
The Golden Bulls fell behind early, but showed some resolve to take a lead. Virginia State managed to grab a 6-2 lead the first two minutes of play. Junior forward
Emilio Parks (Ashtabula, OH) responded with a dunk and two free throws to put JCSU on the board. Junior guard
LaMarquis Letchaw (Dallas, TX) and senior forward
Antwan Wilkerson (Greensboro, NC) chipped in a field goal apiece.
Wilkerson tied the game 8-8 with a jumper. Senior forward
Robert Williams (Atlanta, GA) gave JCSU a 9-8 advantage after shooting one of two from the foul line. The Trojans bounced back with a 12-0 run. Virginia State held a 20-9 lead with 12:49 on the clock and the Golden Bulls took a timeout.
JCSU began whittling away at their deficit and got within one possession with less than a minute in the first half. Sophomore guard
Raston Brown (Hephzibah, GA) made a layup off a dish from Letchaw with 51 seconds on the clock to make it 31-29 in favor of VSU. Allen Harris connected on a three pointer to give Virginia State a 34-29 halftime advantage.
Letchaw had 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists at the break. Wilkerson pitched in seven points, two boards, and a block. The Golden Bulls shot 46% (12-26) from the floor in the opening. Virginia State shot 37.8% (14-37) from the field, but 45.5% (5-11) from behind the three point line.
Virginia State maintained an advantage for the entire second half and never allowed their lead to fall below five. JCSU's field goal shooting percentage dropped to 36% (12-33), while the Trojan's improved to 48% (12-25) in the second half.
Letchaw ended the night with a game-high 17 points, along with eight rebounds and five assists. Wilkerson finished with 13 points and six boards (all defensive). Parks had nine points and six rebounds, followed by Brown with eight points and four boards.
Lamar Kearse led the Trojans with 16 points and five assists, including three of four shooting from beyond the arc. Harris concluded the contest with 11 points and six rebounds for VSU.
JCSU returns to action on Saturday, January 18th against Fayetteville State University. Game time for this Southern Divisional matchup is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. inside Capel Arena.
