Charlotte, N.C. (March 1, 2018) – The Lincoln University continued their impressive play at the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament on Thursday, defeating the defending CIAA Champions Johnson C. Smith University 58-52 in a hard fought contest that saw nine ties and 12 lead changes and no lead larger than six throughout the game.

The No. 3 Northern Division seed Lincoln University improved to 18-10 and will face Virginia Union University on Friday in the semi-finals at the Spectrum Center at 3:00 p.m. Johnson C. Smith University closes the book on their season with an 18-10 mark

The Lions were led by Shecquan Bailey (Salisbury, Md./Snow Hill (Baltimore City C.C.)) with a game-high 22 points (7-of-11) and seven boards. McKenzie Spencer (Richmond, Va./Henrico) chipped in 10 points (3-of-6) in the victory.  Shahra Madison (Chesapeake, Va./Norfolk Collegiate School (Chesapeake College)), Teira Pendleton (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Polytech) and Amanda Okodugha (Norrkoping, Sweden /Hagagymnasiet (Young Harris)) also grabbed seven rebounds to equal Bailey's team high.

Johnson C. Smith was led by Jasmine Carter with 14 points (5-of-16); while Asha Jordan recorded 11 points (4-of-9) and Kendall Adams added nine points and nine boards, respectively

Madison added the opening basket for Lincoln within the opening minutes to jump to a quick 2-0 lead. Johnson C. Smith University's Kendall Adams answered with adding a layup to tie the score two all with 7:59 left in the opening quarter. The Lions then added a layup to take a 4-2 advantage. JCSU's Xena Dove secured a three-pointer to take a 5-4 edge. Lincoln then added back-to-back baskets collecting an 8-5 lead with 5:43 left on the clock. Jasmine Carter added two free throws cutting the lead by one. A three-pointer by Shecquan Bailey (Salisbury, Md./Snow Hill (Baltimore City C.C.)) grew LU's  lead to 11-7. The Golden Bulls rallied to retake the lead but Pendleton's bucket at the buzzer put Lincoln back on top as the quarter ended.

Spencer's three-pointer to open Lincoln's scoring in the second quarter broke a 15-15 tie.  Michelle Fitzgerald (Baltimore, Md./Md. Academy of Tech & Health Science (N.C. A & T)) later added a layup to push the Lions lead to four 20-16.  The
Lions lead would oscillate between one and three points  before Jamia Johnson sank two free throws to give the Golden Bulls a 24-23 lead.  Another three-ball from Spencer put the Lions back on top 26-24.  The golden Bulls would then score four of the final five points to take a 28-27 lead at halftime.

Okodugha opened the third quarter with two straight layups to give the Lions a 31-28 lead before Jordan tied the game with a three-ball at the 6:50 mark, 31-31.  Jordan then scored two straight baskets to complete a 6-0 Golden Bull run and give the defending champions a 35-31 lead.  The Lions countered with a 10-2 run to go back up by four 41-37.  JCSU scored the final four points of the quarter to send the game into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 41-41.

Neither team could find the bottom of the net as the fourth quarter commenced with Madison's free throw with 7:17 left marking the first points by either team. Malia rivers put the Golden Bulls back on top with a layup and Bailey followed with a three-ball as the lead switched hands again. The game saw its last tie at the 5:30 mark of the fourth quarter with a layup by Adams  making the score 47 all. Lincoln's Shecquan Bailey (Salisbury, Md./Snow Hill (Baltimore City C.C.)) then ignited an 11-5 run with a on a three-pointer at the 2:15 mark to close out the contest with a 58-52 final score.

The Lions took the edge over Johnson C. Smith 26-20 in points in the paint while shooting 44.7 percent (21-of-47) from the floor, 38.5 percent (5-of-13) from downtown, and 68.8 percent (11-of-16) from the charity stripe for the game.

JCSU closed out the game shooting only 31.1 percent (19-of-61) from the field, 18.8 percent (3-of-16) from behind the arc, and 61.1 percent (11-of-18) from the line.