CHARLOTTE, North Carolina – After only leading by five points at halftime, the Johnson C. Smith University men's basketball team had a big second half and cruised past visiting Apprentice School, 104-88 and gave head coach Stephen Joyner, Sr. his 500th win at the helm of the JCSU program in game two of the JCSU/Claude Saunders Tip-Off Classic.
Leading 47-42 after the first half, JCSU steadily built a double-digit lead, leading by as many as 28 points in the second half thanks to a stellar night from senior Stedmon Lemon (Lithonia, Ga.). Lemon poured in a team-high 20 points on a 10-of-17 shooting effort. Lemon also finished with a team-high nine assists. Fellow senior Diondre Pratt (Morven, N.C.) also had a great night, going for a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Lemon and Pratt combined for numerous high-flying dunks as JCSU built their commanding lead in the second half.
Sharpshooter Josh Linson (San Antonio, Tex.) also found the range, connecting for four three-pointers, finishing with 14 points. Gabon Williams (Charlotte, N.C.) and
Malik Ford (Salisbury, N.C.) also had double-digit efforts, going for 12 and 10 points, respectively. JCSU sophomore guard Robert Davis, III (West Friendship, Md.) also had a productive outing, dishing six assists while scoring nine points. AJCSU had 32 assists in the game.
Collectively, JCSU shot a 50% (40-80) from the field, 35.5% (11-31) from long range and 65% (13-20) from the line. The Golden Bulls defense also forced 23 Builders turnovers that led to 31 points. JCSU also dominated inside, outscoring Apprentice 50-26 in the paint. JCSU also held a 20-2 advantage on fast-break opportunities.
The win gives JCSU head coach Stephen Joyner, Sr. his 500th win as head men's coach. He joins Duke's Mike Krzyzewski (1,021), North Carolina's Roy Williams (752) and Western Carolina's Larry Hunter (664) as the only four active coaches in North Carolina with 500 wins.
Joyner and JCSU will look to get No. 501 on Saturday when they take on Benedict at 4:00 p.m. in Brayboy Gym.
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COURTESY JOHNSON C. SMITH UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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