JOHNSON C. SMITH 82, SHAW 63
February 26, 2009
CHARLOTTE, NC - Johnson C. Smith gave the hometown fans plenty to
cheer for in its CIAA Tournament men's quarterfinal game
Thursday.
The third seed Golden Bulls (21-7 overall) dominated from the
outset in beating sixth seed Shaw 82-63. The win marked the fourth
CIAA tournament win in a row at Time Warner Cable Arena for the
Golden Bulls, who beat three teams to win the CIAA basketball crown
last year.
The Golden Bulls, whose campus is only a few minutes away from Time
Warner Cable Arena, hope to continue playing well in Friday's
semifinal game against seven seed Virginia State which starts at 7
p.m.
On Thursday, the crowd watched the Golden Bulls dismantle a Bears
team some considered a darkhorse in the tournament. The Bears
(12-16 overall) showed marked improvement this season under
first-year head coach Cleo Hill, Jr., winning 8 of their last 12
games, but the Golden Bulls took their opponent out of the game
early.
The Golden Bulls looked comfortable playing in their hometown,
while the Bears were out of rhythm for most of the first half. With
several key players from last year's championship team, the Golden
Bulls were in control from the beginning. They scored 11 points off
12 turnovers by the Bears and made 15 of 23 free throws to open a
17-point first-half lead. The Bears, with several newcomers on the
roster this season, put together a mini-run near the end of the
first half but were still behind 39-27 at halftime.
The second half was more of the same as the Golden Bulls extended
the lead to 25 points on an 18-5 run. Raheem Smith followed with a
3-pointer with 10:26 left to end a eight-minute field goal drought
for Bears.
Ryan Scott scored 25 points and Jerry Hollis added 21 points for
the Golden Bulls, who shot 54 percent and made 33 of 48 free
throws. Raheem Smith led the Bears with 17 points and Will Graham
added 11 points. The Bears shot 40 percent and hit 16 of 30 free
throws and 3 of 18 3-point attempts.
The Golden Bulls won the CIAA Western Division this season with an
8-0 record including two wins over the Bears during the regular
season. The Golden Bulls beat the Bears by scores of 74-66 and
74-72.
The Bears looked forward to taking the Golden Bulls down to the
wire again in the tournament, maybe pull off an upset, but the
Golden Bulls nixed that idea early on.
Last season, the Golden Bulls opened the tournament with an
impressive quarterfinal win over Saint Augustine's which propelled
them to the CIAA title. After beating the Bears handily Thursday,
the Golden Bulls hope it propels them on another title run in front
of their home folks.
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