LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (January 10, 2008) – Sophomore guard Ladaye Johnson (Wilmington, DE/Hodgson Vo-Tech) scored a career-high 32 points during the Lincoln University of Pennsylvania's, 93-80, setback to visiting Saint Paul's College in men's basketball action Thursday night at Manuel Rivero Hall. (BOXSCORE)
Playing its first game in 26 days, Lincoln (1-12) sliced a 20-point second-half deficit to three points, but could get no closer.
Joining Johnson in double figures was Dante Blanton-Holcombe (Baltimore, MD/Dunbar) (18 points) and Dominic Washington (Philadelphia, PA/Imhotep Charter) (13 points, eight rebounds). Eugene Smith (Lansdowne, PA/Penn Wood) (career-high seven rebounds and three blocked shots) and Emmanuel Kakulu (Boston, MA/Another Course to College) (seven points and three assists) turned in solid performances for Lincoln.
However, that effort was not enough to offset the balanced Tigers, who placed four players in double figures highlighted by Jack Browne's 25 point, 10-rebound performance. Browne leads the CIAA in scoring and rebounding. Also notching double-doubles for Saint Paul's College were Maurice Reevey (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Bruce Royal (16 points, 11 assists). Adrian Moffatt, the 10th leading scorer in the CIAA, added 19 points for the Tigers (2-4).
Johnson was on fire in the opening 20 minutes. Johnson scored 28 points in the first half on 11-for-16 shooting. Johnson scored 25 of Lincoln's first 33 points. During one stretch of the first half, Johnson had separate scoring sprees where he scored nine straight and eight consecutive Lincoln points.
Despite Johnson's effort, Lincoln trailed, 57-38, at intermission. Saint Paul's finshed the first half by outscoring Lincoln, 31-11, over the final 10 minutes.
Johnson's previous career scoring best evening was 27 points against Briarcliffe College earlier this season. The 28 points in the first half were the most by a Lincoln player in the first half since Kyle Myrick scored 29 of his career-best 62 points in the first half of Lincoln's 115-83 victory over Penn State-Abington on February 20, 2006.
Blanton-Holcombe fueled Lincoln's second half surge by scoring 16 of his points. Smith's layup with 7:58 remaining pulled Lincoln to within, 77-74. That was as close as Lincoln would get. Saint Paul's scored the next 11 points to open an 88-74 advantage with 4:11 remaining. Lincoln went scoreless for 3:47.
The teams will meet again in Lawrenceville (Va.) on Thursday February 7, 2008 at 6:00 p.m.
Lincoln will hit the road for its next game Saturday afternoon at Wingate University (4:00 p.m.). The game can be heard at www.redzonemedia.com with the Wingate University broadcast crew.
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