LINCOLN UNIVERSITY, PA. (November 29, 2008) – The Lincoln University of Pennsylvania men's basketball team scored 13 consecutive points midway through the second half and used a stifling defensive performance to end a 19-game losing streak against CIAA opponents by defeating Shaw 61-48 Saturday afternoon at Manuel Rivero Hall (BOXSCORE).
In earning fifth year coach Garfield Yuille his first victory against a CIAA opponent, Lincoln extended its winning streak to two games and simultaneously ended a nine-game skid against North Carolina schools. This was Lincoln's first win over a CIAA opponent since a 77-72 road victory over Virginia State in 1998 and its first over a North Carolina school since an 84-80 triumph over Greensboro in 2004.
For the fourth time this season, Lincoln (2-5 overall) placed four players in double figures highlighted by junior guard Bryant Leach's (Philadelphia, PA/Bartram) sixth career double-double and third this season (16 points, 10 rebounds). Lincoln is 2-1 in games this season in which Leach records a double-double. Freshman guard Darren Clark (Largo, MD/Largo) finished with 13 points and three assists. Junior guard Damian Hyman (Bronx, NY/Harry S. Truman) and sophomore forward Eugene Smith (Lansdowne, PA/Penn Wood) (West Palm Beach, FL/Penn Wood) added 11 points each for the Lions.
In addition to establishing a career-high point total, Smith grabbed seven rebounds, handed out two assists and blocked a shot. Smith's effort helped Lincoln win the rebounding battle, 38-37, and earn the edge in the bench scoring, 21-15.
“Since I am coming off the bench, my job is to bring a defensive spark along with an aggressive approach to the game,” Smith said. “If I do that, it helps balance our team and our defense. Our focus today was to try and get on every loose ball and make them work very hard on offense and defense.”
Mission accomplished as Lincoln held Shaw to 16 first half points. It's the fewest point total in a half allowed under Yuille during his tenure as coach. This was also the fourth time under Yuille, Lincoln has held a team below 50 points. The Lions limited Shaw to 28.6 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes to open a 30-16 halftime bulge. Lincoln held Shaw to four points over the final eight minutes of the first half.
Shaw (1-4) cut Lincoln's lead to 39-35 with 13:36 remaining following a Rodney Callwood basket. That would be as close as the Bears would get. Lincoln scored the next 13 points to open its largest advantage, 52-35, with 7:53 remaining. The key play during that run was a Clark 3-pointer from the left corner off of a Smith assist to put Lincoln ahead, 44-35.
Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, MD/Western) followed with a 3-pointer on Lincoln's next offensive possession to give the Lions a 47-35 advantage. Lincoln's lead never dropped below double digits. The Lions held Shaw scoreless for over six minutes. During that stretch The Bears missed seven straight shots and turned the ball over four times.
“We were pressing (on defense) out of our man and out of our zone,” Yuille said. “A win like this show we are ready to compete and that we can play on this level. It shows that we are continuing our building process.”
The Lions took control of the game immediately after falling behind, 4-2, in the opening minutes. Lincoln scored 10 consecutive points to take a 12-4 lead. Leach, who made four of his first five shots, gave Lincoln the lead for good, 6-4, on a short jumper with 16:22 remaining.
“We know we're going to have to play defense first to win,” Leach said. “This is a big win for us. We're a scrappy team and we look to wear our opponent down. We were happy with our defense. Since our 3-pointers weren't falling today, we focused on getting the ball inside, hustling and playing defense.”
Callwood was the only Shaw player to finish in double figures. He scored a game-high 19 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Adrian Bascom finished with eight points and nine rebounds. Shaw finished 1-for-20 from 3-point distance.
Lincoln returns to action against Cheyney University in the “18th Annual Holiday Basketball Classic” at Temple University's McGonigle Hall on Saturday December 13 at 8:00 p.m. This will be Lincoln's only game in 34 days.
Shaw hosts Saint Augustine's Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.
NOTES: It's third time under Yuille, Lincoln limited an opponent to under 20 points in a half. (Franklin & Marshall, 17 points 1-3-07 –2nd half and Keystone, 19 points 1-6-07—1st half). …It's the first time in 49 games, Lincoln has limited the opposition to fewer than 50 points (43 vs. Franklin & Marshall, 1-3-07). ...Mooney has made at least two 3-pointers in four straight games. …This is the first time Lincoln has won consecutive games since it defeated Alvernia 91-76 (March 2, 2007) and Catholic 81-70 (March 3, 2007) in the first two rounds of the NCAA Division III tournament. …Finally, this is Lincoln's first home victory over a CIAA school since a victory over Bowie State during the 1992-93 season.
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