Daniel Clark vs. JCSU (2013)
Jerrell Jordan
Daniel Clark Snatches One of His Six Rebounds. He Helped the Falcons Hold a 51-26 Rebounding Advantage Over JCSU.

Men's Basketball Sports Information Office

Falcons Outmuscle Johnson C. Smith 66-60


Boxscore 

RALEIGH, N.C. – Men's Head Coach Lonnie Blow, Jr. and his coaching staff at Saint Augustine's University have preached rebounding to their basketball team since the beginning of the season. Apparently, the players are listening.

The Falcons owned the backboards in a 66-60 victory over Johnson C. Smith University inside packed Emery Gymnasium on Wednesday, Jan. 23, 2013. The victory was the third in a row for the Falcons, who moved into a tie for first place with a 2-0 record in the Southern Division. The Falcons are 12-6 overall and 5-3 in the CIAA.

The Falcons beat a pretty good Johnson C. Smith squad by dominating the glass. They outrebounded the visitors from Charlotte, N.C., by a whopping 51-26 advantage. The Falcons tied their largest rebounding margin of the season.

“I didn't expect us to outrebound them by that much, but I knew we had to outrebound them to be successful,” Blow said. “[JCSU] is a good rebounding team, watching them on film. I told the guys before the game that had to be tough on the glass.”

Sophomore center Jonathan Crawley (Richmond, Va.) led the Falcons with 15 points and eight rebounds. Senior guard Tyquan Stroman (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) added 10 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Daniel Clark (Danville, Va.) tallied six rebounds and junior guard Joel Kindred (Raleigh, N.C.) had six rebounds to go along with six points.

The starting trio of senior guards Percy Woods (Washington, D.C.), Nick Chamblee (Hampton, Va.) and redshirt junior forward Chris Johnson (Hampton, Va.) combined for 26 points and 13 rebounds. Woods had 9 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals while Chamblee contributed eight points, six assists and four rebounds. Johnson totaled 9 points and four rebounds. Eight players had at least four rebounds apiece for the Falcons. Freshman forward/center Joel Watson had two rebounds but scored seven points.

“Everybody contributed,” said Blow, whose team outscored the Golden Bulls 30-6 in bench points. “That is the way we have been doing it. We don't have one dominant rebounder, we have been rebounding by committee. Everybody's contributing – it is more of a team effort than anything else.”

The Falcons grabbed two big rebounds in the final 30 seconds to close out the win. Kindred pulled down a carom with the Falcons ahead 62-57 after JCSU attempted a 3-pointer off a turnover. Kindred, who was fouled on the rebound, made the first free throw but missed the second. Crawley, who is listed at 6-8 and 340 pounds, hauled in the offensive rebound and scored underneath for a 65-57 lead with 17 seconds left.

“Jon is big, physical and athletic,” Blow said. “He is deceptive. When you look at a big guy like him, you wouldn't think he can jump like he can, but he can get off his feet when he wants to.”

The Falcons' tenacity on the boards led to a 16-2 advantage in second-chance points and offset 31 points by Trevin Parks of the Golden Bulls, who ranks third nationally in Division II in scoring average. The Falcons lead the CIAA and rank 27th nationally in rebounding margin. They have outrebounded their opponents in all but two games this season.

“Everybody wants to score, but rebounding is so key,” Blow said.
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