JCSU Earns 76-71 Win Over WSSU
JCSU Sports Information
Box Score Charlotte, N.C. (Feb. 17, 2016) – The Johnson C. Smith men's basketball team kept their hopes alive for a CIAA Southern Division title by outlasting Winston-Salem State 76-71 at a raucous Brayboy Gym on Wednesday night.
The win improves JCSU to 13-11 overall, 8-7 in CIAA play and 6-3 in Southern Division games. The win over the Rams also sets up a showdown on Saturday, Feb. 20 with the Southern Division crown on the line as Shaw visits Brayboy Gym for a 4:00 p.m. tip.
The Golden Bulls were once again led by
Stedmon Lemon (Lithonia, Ga.) as he posted a game-high 23 points while fellow senior
Alandre Davis (Florence, N.C.) nearly came away with a triple-double, as he had 15 points, nine rebounds and recorded eight blocks on the evening. Sophomore guard
Robert Davis (West Friendship, Md.) had 14 points while
DIondre Pratt (Morven, N.C.) had 13 points and a 10 rebound effort.
The first half saw Winston-Salem State jump out to an early 7-2 lead at the 17:19 mark when C.J. Ford knocked down a jumper. That lead would be short-lived as JCSU pulled ahead 8-7 following a Lemon layup. The Golden Bulls were then able to surge ahead, building a six point lead at 22-16 following a three pointer from Lemon with 8:52 remaining in the half. WSSU would answer by taking a 26-25 lead after Rayvon Harris knocked down two free throws at the 5:28 mark.
Neither team could create much breathing room the rest of the way, as a
Robert Davis long ball pulled JCSU to within 36-34 which would eventually be the halftime tally.
In the second half, Winston-Salem State started strong, bolting to a 48-36 lead with 16:03 left after a T.J. Wilson free throw. JCSU would then chip away at the lead, tying the game at 56-56 at 9:02 after an
Alandre Davis bucket and would take the 58-56 lead following a WSSU miss on a Lemon basket in traffic.
Winston-Salem State seemed to be making a push to close the game out when they went ahead 68-62 with just 3:43 left. JCSU would go on a 6-0 run of their own to pull even at 68-68, the seventh tie of the game. After being tied for the eighth time at 71-71, JCSU forced a WSSU miss and Lemon earned his way to the free throw line, calmly knocking down both shots to give JCSU the 73-71 advantage. Another WSSU miss and a JCSU rebound would earn
Robert Davis a trip to the line, where he converted one shot to push the lead to 74-71 with just 23 seconds left. The Rams would then miss on their next possession and was forced to foul. This time, Pratt toed the line and knocked down both shots with seven seconds left to provide the 76-71 final.
