BALITMORE, Md. – The No. 6 seed Lincoln (PA) topped the No. 11 seed Johnson C. Smith in convincing fashion by the score of 82-50 during the opening round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men's Basketball Tournament Wednesday morning.
 
With the win, Lincoln (PA) will face the No. 3 seed Virginia State in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 6 p.m. from the CFG Bank Arena.
 
The Lions held a 36-25 lead at halftime before grooming a 46-25 charge in the second half in route to the 32-point victory. LUPA shot 52.2-percent shooting from the field, including 62.5-percent from beyond the arc. The contest featured just six lead changes as the Golden Bulls held its largest lead of three points at the 15:29 in the first half. The Lions tacked on 44 points in the paint and gathered a 30-point performance from its bench.
 
LUPA had four players score in double figures led by Bakir Cleveland with 15 points and three assists while Korey Williams added 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Reggie Hudson finished with 13 points, six rebounds and five assists while Freddie Young, Jr. added 10 points and seven assists.
 
As for JCSU, the Golden Bulls were led by Augustine Ominu with 17 points and nine rebounds. Javon Floyd chipped in 10 points and five rebounds to round out the double digit scorers for the contest.