Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls

JCSU Men's Upset Bid Falls Short, Shaw Wins 63-62

2/18/2017 9:34:00 PM

JCSU Sports Information

JCSU Men's Basketball Upset Bid Falls Short, Shaw Wins 63-62 in Regular Season Finale

Raleigh, N.C. (Feb. 18, 2017) –  The Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team nearly pulled off an upset of Southern Division champion Shaw on Saturday afternoon, but a last-second three-point attempt fell short.

In a game that featured 11 ties and nine lead changes, the Golden Bulls rallied from a 10-point second half deficit (42-32) to knot the game at 62-62 at the 1:57 mark after Gabon Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) knocked down a three-pointer from the left side.  A Shaw free throw made it 63-62 with 45 seconds left.

JCSU had two chances to take the lead late, with the first ending on a turnover and steal by the Bears. Following the steal, Shaw called timeout and senior Benji Bell missed a three-pointer that would've put the Golden Bulls away. Williams rebounded the ball and quickly pushed the ball ahead to junior guard Robert Davis (West Friendship, Md.).  Davis had a clean look and let a three-pointer fly just before the horn sounded, but the shot was strong and bounced off the back of the rim, sending Shaw to the 63-62 win and the season sweep of the Golden Bulls.

In the loss, JCSU had four players score in double-figures, with Davis leading the way with 17 points. He also had four assists. Gabon Williams had 16 points and was 3-of-8 from long range while freshman Cayse Minor (Winston-Salem, N.C.) finished with 13 points while Malik Ford (Salisbury, N.C.) had 10 points. Christian Williams (Chesapeake, Va.) led the Golden Bulls on the inside, finishing with seven rebounds to go with three points .

Shaw's Benji Bell scored 21 while Eric Banks and DaVaughn Kelsie had 15 and 12 points, respectively.

Shaw improved to 14-12 overall and 10-6 in CIAA play while JCSU falls to 10-16 and 6-10 in league play.

The Golden Bulls will begin CIAA Tournament play on Tuesday, Feb. 21 at Bojangles Coliseum at 8:50 pm., taking on Elizabeth City State, the No. 6 seed from the CIAA's Northern Division.