J.C. Smith comes through in clutch to advance to CIAA championship game

It’s been a long time between CIAA tournament finals for Johnson C. Smith.

The Golden Bulls knocked out Bowie State 80-71 Friday in the semifinals at Spectrum Arena for a berth opposite Virginia Union in the championship. JCSU last played for the title in 2009, when it won the second of back-to-back championships.

The win also was J.C. Smith’s 20th of the season, its first time reaching that plateau since the 2009 squad’s 23-8 campaign.

The South Division’s top seed, J.C. Smith (20-10) turned Bowie State (19-9) back with balance in the clutch. Four Golden Bulls scored in double figures, with all-CIAA forward Roddric Ross, playing in his first tournament, leading the way with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting.

The all-conference backcourt of Robert Davis and Christian Kirchman tallied 19 and 12 points respectively, while Cayse Minor tossed in 14 points and a team-best nine rebounds. J.C. Smith was also efficient, connecting on 26-of-50 shots (52 percent) compared to Bowie State’s 23-of-67 (34.3 percent).

The Golden Bulls led 37-31 at halftime, but Bowie State forced six ties and a pair of lead changes in the second half as Cameron Hayes scored 17 of his team-high 20 points after intermission.

Three who mattered

Roddric Ross: All-CIAA forward continued his hot play in the tournament with 20 points and seven rebounds. His ability to work angles for scoring position kept the Golden Bulls humming on offense.

Cayse Minor: The Golden Bulls forward scored 14 points to add offensive balance. He also snatched down a team-high nine rebounds.

Cameron Hayes: The Bowie State guard was an energetic spark off the bench, dropping a team-high 20 points for the Bulldogs. He hit 7-of-13 shots, including 5-of-9 from 3-point range.

Observations

▪  J.C. Smith owned the lane offensively, outscoring Bowie State 32-18, primarily on drives by Ross as well as centers Arthur Bennett and Jonathan Curtis, who combined for 15 points.

▪  Bowie State’s Hayes was the only Bulldogs reserve to score, but it was enough to build a 20-7 advantage against J.C. Smith.

▪  Free throws have been an issue for J.C. Smith all season, but the Golden Bulls hit 71.4 percent (15-of-21) in the second half.

Worth mentioning

▪  J.C. Smith has three CIAA titles in school history – all since 2001 with Steve Joyner as head coach.

▪  Ross has scored 20 points or more in both tournament games.

▪  Bowie State outrebounded the Golden Bulls 43-34.

This story was originally published March 3, 2018 at 1:12 AM with the headline "J.C. Smith comes through in clutch to advance to CIAA championship game."