It was the tale of two halves Wednesday evening in Brayboy Gymnasium. Johnson C. Smith's women sprinted to a 14 point lead at halftime only to fall short in the second half, losing to Winston-Salem State 71-68.
In the first half, JCSU held the Rams to 29% shooting; forcing 13 turnovers and scoring 21 points off those turnovers. JCSU scored 15 field goals to WSSU's nine at the end of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, the tables turned.
WSSU made significant adjustments at halftime to overcome JCSU's pressure defense.
The Rams began the third quarter with a 20-7 run to take the lead in a closely contested game that only saw two lead changes and one tie.
WSSU worked its inside game, taking a 20-10 advantage in second half points in the paint.
The Rams were led by Player of the Week Brionna Pate who scored a game high 18 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
The Golden Bulls were led by Blair Thomas who finished the game with 13 points. Teana Lewis added 10 points for JCSU.
The win keeps WSSU in first place in the CIAA South with a 4-1 record. The Rams improve to 11-9 and 7-3 in conference play.
The loss drops the Golden Bulls to 10-11 over all, 7-4 in the CIAA and 3-2 in the division.
JCSU will look to get back on a winning track when they host Shaw University Saturday afternoon (Feb 2) in Brayboy Gymnasium. Tip off is set for 2:00 p.m.
