Golden Bulls Roll Past Winston-Salem State, 88-79
Charlotte, N.C. (Feb. 21, 2018) – Johnson C. Smith University had four players score in double figures, led by senior guard
Robert Davis in an 88-79 men's basketball win over Winston-Salem State on Wednesday night in a sweltering Brayboy Gym.
JCSU, losers of two straight one-point games, battled with the visiting Rams through much of the first half, but after finding themselves down 29-28 with 7:53 left in the first half, JCSU responded with a 15-1 run to go ahead 43-30 with 4:01 to play after senior
Arthur Bennett (Powder Springs, Ga.) tapped in his own miss.
From that point, JCSU held the Rams at bay, taking a 48-34 lead into halftime.
In the second half, JCSU would not relinquish the lead, as WSSU never got to within nine points.
As a team, JCSU shot 53.6% (30-of-56) from the field and hit five three-pointers. The Golden Bulls were able to limit WSSU to a 42.2% outing (27-of-64) and also forced 18 turnovers, which led to 20 JCSU points.
Davis, a product of West Friendship, Md., scored 25 points on the night while senior teammate
Christian Kirchman (Roanoke, Va.) had the double-double with 11 points and a career-high 14 assists.
Roddric Ross (Forest City, N.C.) and Bennett each had 14 points with Ross pulling down six rebounds and Bennett controlling seven.
Aaron Adair (Winston-Salem, N.C.) also had his best outing of the season, going for nine points and grabbing seven rebounds in the win.
WSSU got 21 points from sophomore Robert Colon while William Crandell had 20.
Chigozie Ngene-Igwe had 11 points and 13 rebounds for the Rams, who fell to 5-20 overall, 3-12 in CIAA play and 1-8 in the Southern Division.
JCSU improves to 18-8 overall, 11-4 in league play and 8-1 in the Southern Division. With the win, JCSU has assured itself at least a tie for the Southern Division crown and no less than a No. 2 seed heading into next week's CIAA Tournament.
The Golden Bulls will look to win the Southern Division outright this upcoming Saturday, hosting Shaw at 4:00 p.m. in Brayboy Gym.
