Box Score The sophomore guard from Greenville, N.C., pumped in a career-high 35 points to spark Saint Augustine's University to an 86-71 runaway victory over Winston-Salem State University in a CIAA men's basketball contest on Monday, February 9, 2015.
Gaskins played a modest first half, scoring eight points on 3 of 7 shooting. He exploded in the second half with 27 points on 10 of 13 shots including 5 of 8 from three-point range. During a critical three-minute stretch, Gaskins made all four three-point attempts to take the steam out of the Rams early in the second half.
The sensational guard downplayed his career night. Gaskins says he did nothing special to prepare for the Rams.
"I was in the gym taking shots, but nothing extra," Gaskins said. "I take shots before every game."
Gaskins noticed his defender was guarding him loosely in the second half which led to his scoring opportunities.
Coach [MarQus Johnson] said attack the basket, but my defender was sagging off," said Gaskins, who was 13 of 20 from the floor including 7 of 13 on three-point attempts. "I had the opportunity to knock down open shots, and I did." Gaskins finished with a career-high seven three-pointers. His shooting exhibition helped the Falcons (3-3 Southern Division, 10-12 overall) stretch a seven-point lead to 20 early in the second half. The Rams (4-2 Southern Division, 13-8 overall) never recovered, even though they staged a late rally.
"Anthony played an unbelievable game," said Johnson, the Falcons' head coach. "He put us on his back. The way he shot the ball was huge for us."
Forward Quincy January (Fr./Atlanta, GA) added 15 points and nine rebounds for the Falcons, who moved into a third-place tie in the Southern Division. Guard Raheem Jolliffe (Sr./Fayetteville, NC) added 14 points and guard Keith Crawford (Jr./Richmond, VA) scored 10 points. Guard Jon Koger (Sr./Greensboro, NC) added five points, seven rebounds, seven assists and three steals. Coach Johnson says the Falcons, backed by a lively crowd inside packed Emery Gymnasium on the Harvey D. Heartley, Sr. Court, played with intensity from the outset. They shot 49 percent including 63 percent in the decisive second half when the outscored the Rams 53-40 to extend a 33-31 halftime lead.
"We changed things up by adding Tayron [Gibson] and Koger in the starting lineup," Johnson said. "Tayron [a senior guard from Alexandria, VA] was hurt the first game of the season. He is getting back into shape, and Jon has been staying positive and being ready when his number is called."
Though the Rams were taller, the Falcons battled them evenly on the boards (38-38) which led to an 18-9 edge in second-chance points. They forced 19 turnovers which resulted in a 19-9 advantage in points off turnovers.
"The team loves playing at home, and the crowd did an exceptional job," Johnson said.
Gaskins says the Falcons had extra motivation after losing to the Rams 82-67 in January 2015. They Falcons were also coming off a 71-53 loss to Virginia State last week, which was their third in a row. In both games, the Falcons started slowly and fell behind early.
"The last time we played Winston-Salem State, we didn't play Falcon basketball," Gaskins said. "At Virginia State, we played catch-up. In this game, we wanted to start strong and not play catch-up at the end of the game."
Gaskins set the tone for the Falcons in the second half with his shooting. He never expected to score so many points, but the Rams were focused on backcourt mate Jolliffe, the CIAA scoring leader who scored 20 points in the first meeting between both teams.
"I think they were more worried about Raheem," Gaskins said. "They weren't really focused on me, so it was my turn to step up."
C.J. Ford and WyKevin Bazemore both scored 17 points for the Rams, who fell to second place in the Southern Division. Donta Harper and Terrell Leach each added 10 points. The Rams shot 45 percent from the floor.
The Falcons will visit Johnson C. Smith University in another Southern Division matchup at Brayboy Gymnasium on Wednesday, February 11 at 7:30 p.m. This will be the second game in three days for the Falcons.
