Johnson C. Smith Edges Bowie State in OT
February 29, 2008
CHARLOTTE, NC - Third-seeded Johnson C. Smith reached the championship game of the CIAA Women's Tournament after outlasting second-seeded Bowie State 58-56 in overtime on Friday (Feb. 29) at Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
The Lady Golden Bulls (21-8 overall) will face Shaw in the finals on Saturday (March 1) in a televised game at 5 p.m. Both teams have previously met three times in the finals, most recently in the 2006 title game with Shaw winning 53-50.
The 21 wins are the most for the Lady Golden Bulls during the seven-year tenure of head coach Vanessa Taylor. This is the fourth finals appearance for the Lady Golden Bulls including three trips under Taylor.
The Lady Golden Bulls advanced to the finals after holding off the Lady Bulldogs (22-6), who forced overtime at 55-55 on a three-pointer by Bianca Lee with one second remaining in regulation. In overtime, Ashley Chase led the Lady Golden Bulls to victory as she outscored the Lady Bulldogs 3-1 from the free-throw line.
Down 45-41 with 4:51 in regulation, the Lady Golden Bulls went on a 14-7 spurt to lead 55-52 with seven seconds left before Lee's three-pointer tied the game.
The Lady Golden Bulls were led by Kyria Buford's 19 points and 15 rebounds. The other double-figure scorers for the Lady Golden Bulls were Ashley Chase with 13 points and Demetria Bell with 10 points. Rochelle Bodie grabbed 11 rebounds and had three steals.
Lee paced the Lady Bulldogs with 17 points. Markeya Watson added 14 points and 10 rebounds and Sherika Thomas scored 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals for the Lady Bulldogs.
The Lady Golden Bulls shot 45.5 percent in the second half to erase a 26-23 halftime deficit. The Lady Bulldogs shot 27.6 percent in the second half but forced 12 turnovers and recorded 8 steals in the second half to stay ahead until the 2:11 mark when Janai Jackson's three-pointer gave the Lady Golden Bulls a 49-47 lead. The Lady Golden Bulls never trailed again.