Feb. 19, 2008

Final Stats

Johnson C. Smith University head men's basketball coach Stephen Joyner, Sr. received something that no other coach in the CIAA has...a basketball court named after him. After an emotional ceremony with his family, former players (both men and women), as well as students, fans, and alumni, it was time for the Golden Bulls to go to work. JCSU emerged victorious by a score of 71-69 over the visiting Broncos of Fayetteville State University (12-13, 8-9 CIAA, 5-2 DIV).

JCSU (17-9, 11-7 CIAA, 6-2 DIV) took an 11-point lead at the half (42-31) and swelled the deficit to 14 early in the second stanza. However, each time the Bulls would build a double-digit lead, the pesky Broncos would have an answer. FSU even cut the lead to two with 27 seconds remaining.

Though Fayetteville State had momentum on their side, JCSU persevered and left the new "Stephen Joyner, Sr. Court" with its first win.

The Golden Bulls had to contain just two players, Andy Gebru and Phillippe' Harris. Gebru and Harris accounted for 52 of the team's 69 total points and all nine of the Broncos' long balls. Gebru scored 20 of his 22 points in the first half, while Harris scored 25 of his 30 in the second half. Unfortunately, their efforts were not enough to lead their team to victory.

Junior Ryan Scott (Reston, Va.) led three Golden Bulls in double figures with 17 points. He also dished out four assists. Seniors Maurice Hooper (Reidsville, N.C.) and Edmund Rainey (Buffalo, N.Y.) contributed 12 and 11 points respectively. James Dillard (Apex, N.C.) added 10 boards in the huge victory.

The win got even sweeter for JCSU as whispers went around stating that Livingstone upset Saint Augustine's College. After brief phone calls to confirm the win, JCSU not only celebrated the naming of "Stephen Joyner, Sr. Court", they also rejoiced in the fact that the team just won their third consecutive western division title.

Johnson C. Smith has completed their conference schedule and can only wait for the CIAA seedings to be released on Sunday. In the meantime, JCSU will host Lincoln (Pa.) on Saturday, Feb. 23 for senior day. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m. in Brayboy Gymnasium.