Box Score RALEIGH, N.C. – A renewed focus on defense led to Saint Augustine's University topping Johnson C. Smith University 68-63 in a CIAA men's basketball contest on Harvey D. Heartley, Sr. Court at Emery Gymnasium on Saturday, January 21, 2015.
The backcourt tandem of Raheem Jolliffe (Sr./Fayetteville, NC) and Anthony Gaskins (So./Greenville, NC) scored 19 points apiece for the Falcons (1-1 Southern Division, 2-5 CIAA, 8-9 overall), who have beaten two of their last three opponents. Forward Quincy January (Fr./Atlanta, GA) added 16 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. But it was defense which carried the Falcons to victory. The 63 points are the third-lowest amount an opponent has scored against the Falcons this season.
The Falcons held Virginia Union University to under 70 points in a 72-66 victory on January 12. In their next game, the Falcons allowed Winston-Salem State University to score over 80 points in an 82-67 loss on January 17.
On Wednesday, the Falcons locked in defensively on the Golden Bulls' scorers. Forward Stedmon Lemon scored 14 points which was one point over his scoring average, but Diondre Pratt tallied three points before fouling out which was well below his average. Inside player Emilio Parks scored 13 points which was about three below his average.
"We were able to defend better," Falcons' Head Coach MarQus Johnson said. "The past two practices, that's all we have been concentrating on. For the most part, we defended well until the last two minutes of the game. We have to learn and get better at closing games out." The Falcons limited the Golden Bulls to 33 percent shooting in the first half. The Golden Bulls heated up in the second half, making 50 percent of their shots but 19 turnovers prevented them from scoring more.
Once they defended the shot, the Falcons pulled down the rebound. They held a 44-42 rebounding edge including a 17-14 advantage in offensive rebounds. Their defense and rebounding helped the Falcons overcome 38 percent shooting.
The Falcons played perhaps their best defense late in the second half. After the Golden Bulls scored at the eight-minute mark, they did not score again until there was 3:18 left in the contest. By then, the Falcons had stretched a narrow 50-49 lead to 58-50. Not even a late run by the Golden Bulls could overcome the scoring drought. After the Falcons built a 61-50 lead with 2:23 remaining, the Golden Bulls closed within four points three times but the Falcons prevailed.
Guard Keith Crawford (Jr./Richmond, VA) added seven points and guard John Koger (Sr./Greensboro, NC) added seven rebounds for the Falcons. Joshua Linson had nine points and eight rebounds for the Golden Bulls. The lead swung back-and-fourth in the first half. Jolliffe hit three of four free throw attempts to give the Falcons a 30-28 lead. In the second half, the Falcons opened with a 14-2 run for their biggest lead at 44-30 on a three-pointer by Gaskins.
The Golden Bulls steadily chipped away at their deficit, but the Falcons held off their opponent, thanks to defense.
The Falcons downed the Golden Bulls on a night when coaches from both teams supported the Coaches vs. Cancer Suits and Sneakers Awareness Week. The coaches wore tennis shoes to bring awareness to cancer and the fight against cancer.
The Falcons will aim for their second straight victory when they travel crosstown to face Shaw University at Spaulding Gymnasium on Saturday, January 24. Tip-off is 4 p.m.
