Bowie State Wins Fourth Straight with 85-80 Conference Win over Johnson C. Smith

BOWIE, Maryland  -- The Bowie State University Bulldogs won their fourth straight game, defeating the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University by a score of 85-80. With the win, Bowie State improves to 10-4 overall (2-0 CIAA) while Johnson C. Smith falls to 6-7 overall and 0-2 in the CIAA. PHOTOS

Senior Cameron Knox (Baltimore, Md.) continues to lead the Bulldogs, scoring a game-high 22 points to go along with a season-high six rebounds. Freshman Ahmaad Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) came off the Bowie State bench to score 18 points. Juniors Miles Jackson (Silver Spring, Md.) and Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) chipped in 12 and 10 points respectively in the win. Junior Andre Jackson (Baltimore, Md.) ripped down a team-high 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

"Every night in this league it's going to be a war, no matter who you're playing or where you're playing … You really have to do a good job taking care of home", said Bowie State head coach Darrell Brooks.

Markell Lotharp (Marshville, N.C.) led Johnson C. Smith with a double-double of 17 points and 10 rebounds. Stedmon Lemon (Lithonia, Ga.) tallied 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the floor and a team-high four assists. Emilo Parks (Ashtabula, Ohio) contributed 11 points, five rebounds, two assists and a game-high three blocked shots in the loss. Joshua Linson (San Antonio, Texas) chipped in 11 points and added three assists and one steal for the Golden Bulls.

Bowie State took a 44-39 lead into halftime with Wilson and Miles Jackson accounting for 11 and 10 points respectively. The Bulldogs hit 15-of-33 first half field goals (45.5 percent), which included 7-of-17 behind the 3-point line and knocked down 7-of-9 free throws.

Johnson C. Smith shot the ball just as well in the first 20 minutes, making 16-of-33 field goals (48.5 percent), which included 5-of-10 behind the arc.

The Bulldogs maintained a lead the entire second half, holding their largest lead of nine twice at 55-46 and 57-48.

The Golden Bulls battled all night and managed to close to within two (78-76) with 2:42 left in the game via a Lotharp free throw.

Bowie State closed out the game with an 8-4 run, with Knox personally responsible for six of those points to seal the victory.

The Bulldogs return to the court on Monday (January 5th), hosting the Winston-Salem State Rams in a 7:30 p.m. contest. Winston-Salem State dropped a 76-74 decision at Lincoln on Saturday (1/3) evening.

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