CHARLOTTE- Johnson C. Smith University Head Men’s Basketball Coach, Stephen Joyner, Sr., grabbed his 600th career win at home against Claflin University, 80-74, marking him the winningest coach in JCSU basketball history.
Throughout his 34-year tenure as coach, Stephen Joyner has collected numerous accomplishments during his career. Joyner is the winningest men’s basketball coach in Golden Bulls history. He led the Golden Bulls to the CIAA Western Division Title in 1992, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2020. In 2000, his team finished fourth in the CIAA, third place finishes in 1991, 1993 and 2003, second place finishes in 1992, 1998, 2002, and 2006. Coach Joyner has captured the CIAA Tournament Championship in 2001, 2008, and 2009. He was selected as the CIAA Coach of the Year and (1992, 1997, 2001) and NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 2001.
Avery Huggins scored a game-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds to give JCSU its second-consecutive win to finish the regular season. Jamauri Bryant added 16 points, six rebounds and six assists to the winning effort. Cedric Powell and Ashton Sherrell added 14 and 13 points in the win.
John Whitehead III led the way for Claflin with a team-high 18 points in the loss. Claflin shot 50 percent from the field but hit just 53 percent of its free throw attempts.
JCSU, meanwhile, hit 54 percent of its attempts from the field and hit 81.3 percent of its 33 free throw attempts.
The two programs will now head up to Baltimore for the CIAA Tournament. Claflin is the no. 2 seed in the CIAA South while JCSU slides into to the no. 6 seed in the CIAA South. It will face Virginia State on Wednesday at 12:10 PM for the right to face Claflin in the quarterfinals on Thursday.