Women's Basketball Holds Off Late Virginia State Rally, Wins 62-58.
Box Score Charlotte, N.C. (Jan. 10, 2015) – The Johnson C. Smith women's basketball team built a large lead and forced 26 Virginia State turnovers but had to withstand a late Trojan charge to take a 62-58 CIAA win on Monday night in Brayboy Gym.
The Golden Bulls steadily built a large lead of 18 points at the 9:57 mark of the first half, but Virginia State was able to close the gap to trail by only eight at halftime, 33-25.
For most of the second half, JCSU was able to keep a comfortable lead until the 5:57 mark when VSU's Cana Mariott nailed a jumper from the paint to draw within five points at 53-48.
JCSU would push the lead to seven (57-50) on a
Larryqua Hall (Atlanta, Ga.) layup with only 4:52 to go. Virginia State continued to chip away at the JCSU lead and got as close as two points (60-58) after two Mariott free throws with 53 seconds remaining. JCSU would have a chance to extend the lead, but
Kaylah Gholson's shot missed the mark, giving the Trojans one last opportunity.
Following a timeout, VSU's Jessica Lyons' game-winning three point attempt was too strong and JCSU's
Ashley Porter (Winston-Salem, N.C.) rebounded the miss. After being fouled, Porter calmly nailed two free throws to provide the 62-58 final margin and preserve the win.
JCSU got a team-high 17 points and nine rebounds from Porter. Teammate
Quinesha Lynch (Rocky Mount, N.C.) scored seven points and also had nine boards in the win.
Anika Jones (Shelby, N.C.) also had a productive outing, scoring nine points and hauling in six rebounds. VSU was led by Cana Mariott's game-high 18 points. Tiffanie Adair secured a double-double for VSU with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the loss.
With the win, JCSU improves to 14-2 overall, 4-1 in CIAA play. Virginia State falls to 10-5, 2-3 in CIAA action.
JCSU plays the final game in a four-game home stand on Saturday, Jan. 17, hosting Fayetteville State in a 5:30 matchup.
