NCAA Div. II Tournament review
Bulls' rally falls short
The Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls fought back from a 15-point second half deficit but couldn't get over the hump as they fell to Washburn (Ks.) 70-64 last Wednesday in the quarterfinals of the men's NCAA Div. II national championship tournament in Bakersfield, Ca. Junior guard Antoine Sims, who led the Bulls with 27 points, fueled a second half charge that brought JCSU back from down 51-36 at the 11:36 mark. He outscored the Ichabods 10-3 over a two-minute stretch to get the Golden Bulls within two, at 66-64 with 1:34 left. But JCSU could not score from there. After the Bulls got a stop, Sims missed a three-pointer that would have given them the lead with 1:11 left and then missed another three that would have tied the score at 67 with :20 left. Washburn converted free throws for the final margin. "I should have taken it to the basket," said Sims of the shot for the lead. "That set us back a little." But without Sims the Bulls would never have been in position to challenge. Only senior forward Wylie Petty (12 points) could join him in double figure scoring as the Bulls struggled from the floor all not shooting 40 percent in either half (35.8% for the game). Sims shot only eight of 24 and canned just three of 12 from three-point range. But after trailing 32-28 at the half and going down by double digits midway through the second half, JCSU coach Steve Joyner switched to a man-to-man defense that seemed to snap the Bulls out of their lethargy. They clawed their way back with a trapping defense that produced steals and a momentum shift. "We basically just picked up the pace on the defensive end," said Joyner. "They were very physical with us in the first half and we didn't respond well. But I was proud of the way we came back and continued to fight. Even down 15, I thought we still had a chance to win." All-CIAA senior center LeMans Shingler struggled getting only five points on two of eight shooting from the field and one of five free throws. He did lead the Bulls on the boards with 12 rebounds. Petty only sank two of seven shots including just one three-pointer. The Bulls, the last black college hoops team playing, finished the season at 27-5, their best record ever, and in the Elite Eight, their deepest penetration ever into the playoffs. The loss ended a seven-game winning streak that saw them take their first-ever CIAA Tournament championship and South Atlantic Region title. "This is something we can build on," said Joyner. © 2001 Azeez Communications, Inc. | 
