Johnson C. Smith repeats as CIAA Men's Basketball Champion
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Posted By: Reginald Culpepper on March 02, 2009 FEATURED Content CHARLOTTE, N.C. (February 28, 2009) - Johnson C. Smith repeated as Central Intercollegiate Athletics Association (CIAA) tournament champions by defeating Virginia Union University, 70-63, Saturday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena before an overflow crowd. Johnson C. Smith (23-7 overall) completed a memorable evening for the University by becoming the first school to win the men's and women's championships in the same year since Norfolk State in 1996. The JCSU women beat Bowie State, 49-36. Jerry Hollis (Charlotte, NC/Victory Christian) scored 11 of his 19 points in the first half to earn tournament MVP honors and help the Golden Bulls earn a return ticket to the NCAA Division tournament. The Golden Bulls used a balanced scoring attack to get even for a pair of regular season defeats to Virginia Union. Ryan Scott (Reston, VA/College of Charleston) scored 13 points, Tavaris Little (Elgin, SC/Aiken Tech) added 12 points and Michael Cooper (New Rochelle, NY/New Rochelle) finished with nine points for the Golden Bulls. James Dillard (Apex, NC/East Carolina) capped off JCSU's second straight title with a two-handed dunk in the final seconds. Gregg Thondique (Norfolk, VA/Douglas Freeman) paced Virginia Union with 23 points and 13 rebounds. Braxton Byerson (Colonial Heights, VA/Thomas Dale) contributed 16 points. Virginia Union, which was ranked second in the latest Atlantic Regional rankings, should be invited to the NCAA tournament. The biggest basket of the game was delivered by Scott. With the shot clock winding down and JCSU clinging to a 62-58 lead, Scott drained a 3-pointer from the top of the key with 1:22 remaining to give the Golden Bulls the space they needed to subdue the Panthers. On Virginia Union's next two possessions, Hollis and Little blocked shots to help the CIAA crown stay in Charlotte. After playing seven minutes in the first half because of foul trouble, Scott scored all of his points in the second half. The Panthers refused to go away easily. Trailing by 11 points with less than 11 minutes remaining, Virginia Union sliced JCSU's advantage to four points on three occasions in the final 4:30. The last was at 62-58 following a Braxton Byerson 3-pointer from the corner with 2:39 remaining. Johnson C. Smith shot a blistering 53.8 percent (14-for-26) in the first half. Although Virginia Union only made 39.1 percent (9-for-23), it only trailed, 34-27, at intermission. Hollis scored 11 points in the opening 20 minutes on 4-of-6 shooting. Thornhill made a pair of 3-pointers in the opening four minutes for his six points. Thondique paced Virginia Union with 11 points. Hollis along with a suffocating defensive effort fueled a 16-2 Golden Bull burst during a seven-minute stretch of the first half. That helped Johnson C. Smith turn an 11-8 deficit into a 24-13 lead with 9:09 remaining. Hollis scored nine points during the scoring surge for the Golden Bulls. More impressively, was JCSU limited the normally efficient Virginia Union offense to just one basket during that stretch. The game began with a bang as the teams combined for five lead changes and three ties before the first television timeout. The NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Selection Committee will announce the 64 teams for its championship tournament on Sunday March 8. If you enjoyed this article, Join HBCU CONNECT today for similar content and opportunities via email! |
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Reginald Culpepper
President, Fulfillment and Web Services, HBCUCONNECT Clark Atlanta University class of 1998 Member Since September 2000 |
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