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Ryan Scott was just waiting.
He had just witnessed his Johnson C. Smith teammate Jerry Hollis light up Shaw for 14 points in the first half of the schools' CIAA tournament quarterfinal Thursday night at Time Warner Cable Arena.
“Eventually, they were going to figure out they had to guard him or double (team) him,” said Scott, son of former Georgia Tech and NBA star Dennis Scott. “When they did, I was going to look for my shot.”
And he did.
Scott scored 16 of his game-high 25 points in the second half – most on slashing drives to the basket – as the Golden Bulls (21-7) cruised to an 82-63 victory and a spot in the tournament semifinals, where they will meet Virginia State (14-17) at 7 tonight.
Virginia State provided the first upset of the tournament, knocking off second-seed Elizabeth City State 69-66 earlier Thursday.
The victory was also the 400th of Johnson C. Smith coach Steve Joyner's career – a milestone he will wait to celebrate until the Golden Bulls complete their attempt to defend their 2008 tournament title.
“Whenever I get a chance to reflect, I'll think about the people who encouraged me to get into basketball, kept me in basketball and the youngsters who played for me and the coaches who played for me,” Joyner said. “It's not a time for me to reflect right now.”
Hollis and Scott provided first- and second-half highlights, respectively, for the Bulls.
Hollis, a junior who starred at Charlotte Victory Christian, used a variety of jumpers and slashing moves to the basket, particularly in the first half, to finish with 21 points.
With the Bears' defense a little tighter on Hollis in the second, Scott looked to fill his scoring role.
“I knew Jerry was doing well so we needed to keep getting the ball inside to him,” Scott said of Hollis. “I just waited for my time to come.
“My job was to be ready when that happened.”
The Bulls led by as many as 25 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. Shaw could get no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
“We kept encouraging our guys to go inside, whether it is by pass or penetration,” Joyner said. “I thought we got better at that as the game went on.”
Raheem Smith tried to keep it close in the second half for Shaw, scoring 17 of his 19 points in the period, including a pair of 3-pointers.
