CHARLOTTE, NC (January 30, 2022) – The Claflin Lady Panthers (4-14, 3-7 CIAA) found points hard to come by when the team took a 76-59 road loss to the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls (10-6, 6-3 CIAA). The Lady Panthers put up a great effort, but the team could not seem to find their way in the hard-fought road loss.
The Lady Panthers seemed to have a hard time putting points onto the scoreboard. As a team, the Lady Panthers shot just 45.1% (23-of-51) from the floor. Junior center Breanna Price led the way for the Lady Panthers with 17 points in the game. Freshman guard Lauren Scott continued to be one of the leading scorers on the team when she poured in 11 points for the Lady Panthers.
In the first half, the Lady Panthers used a strong defensive effort to overcome a slow start. In the first quarter, the team struggled to slow down the Golden Bulls who left Claflin trailing 26-14 at the end of the quarter. However, the Lady Panthers came back with a strong second quarter and held the Golden Bulls to just 12 second quarter points. After falling behind by as many as 17 points during the second quarter, the Lady Panthers were able to cut their deficit down to just 10 points, 38-28, after a lay-up from senior guard Dionna Long with 1:25 left in the second quarter. The team would allow another Golden Bull score to fall behind, 40-28 heading into the locker room at halftime.
In the second half, the Lady Panthers came back with an effort that was similar to the first half. In the third quarter, the team allowed the Golden Bulls to score 24 points and fell into a 62-45 deficit. The team would cut their deficit down to nine points, 64-55, after a Price jumper with 6:24 left to play. Unfortunately, the team would get no close before ending the day with the 76-59 loss. ‘
With the loss, the Lady Panthers fall to 4-14 overall and 3-7 in CIAA play. The team will return to action, Monday when they host the Saint Augustine’s Falcons, Monday evening at 5:30 p.m.