CHARLOTTE, NC – Despite out-rebounding Johnson C. Smith 45-27 and a gutsy performance by senior Charles Rhodes, the Chowan Men's Basketball team fell to the Golden Bulls 67-60 in the opening round of the CIAA Tournament Wednesday night. 

Rhodes, playing his final game in a Chowan uniform, recorded team-highs with 21 points and 9 rebounds.  In 37 minutes of playing time, he shot 8-14 from the floor, including 3-6 from beyond the arc.  “I couldn't ask for a better performance,” said Head Coach Dan DeRose on Rhodes' game. 

Both teams were efficient on the offensive end early, as Chowan connected on three of their first five shots and Johnson C. Smith hit three of their first four.  Aaron Allen, who averaged 5.6 points per contest on the season, collected four in the first 3:10 of the game.  His jumper at the 16:50 mark put the Hawks up 9-8.

Neither team could open an advantage of more than three points over the first seven minutes, until Chowan went on an 11-0 run over a five minute span midway through the first half.  Mark Brown began the surge with a wide open three pointer to give the Hawks a 16-13 lead.  Brown also capped the run with a layup at the 10:07 mark to put his team ahead 24-13.

As is often customary in tournament play, the first half was a game of runs, and the Golden Bulls capitalized just as Chowan had earlier.  After the Hawks' 11-0 run, Johnson C. Smith put together a 5-0 run of their own over a three minute period to pull within four.

“We made some poor decisions on shot selection.  We got a little careless,” remarked DeRose on what led to losing that 11 point lead midway through the first half.

Chowan recovered from their short scoring drought by tightening up their defense and holding the Golden Bulls scoreless from the 7:45 mark until 4:29 was left in the half.  The Hawks needed to rely on their defense down the stretch, as they managed only two points over the final 6:41 of the half.

Chowan dominated the glass in the opening stanza, outrebounding JCSU 28-11.  The Hawks grabbed 12 offensive boards, leading to 14 second chance points.  Chowan did not allow any first half second chance points to the Golden Bulls.

Johnson C. Smith opened the second half on an 8-4 run, but a Mark McGlone jumper brought Chowan back within four at the 15:39 mark.  The Golden Bulls, however, would connect on their next four three-point attempts en route to taking a 52-39 advantage with 11:27 remaining in the half. 

Five straight Charles Rhodes points brought the Hawk deficit to 11 with 7:33 remaining.  From there, Chowan relied on their defense to bring them back.  Johnson C. Smith managed only three points from the 7:05 mark until Trevin Parks drained a jumper with 1:52 remaining. 

Charles Rhodes tipped in an errant shot with 19 seconds left to bring Chowan within three at 63-60.  Two costly turnovers and clutch free throws from Johnson C. Smith in the final seconds secured the victory for the Golden Bulls.

The Hawks shot 41.7% from the floor for the game and outscored JCSU 28-18 in the paint.  Chowan committed 23 turnovers, however, compared to only 10 miscues for the Golden Bulls. 

Chowan will lose seniors Charles Rhodes and Travis Williams next year.  “I have some pieces to fill.  I'm going to fill them and we will be back here.  We're going to make some noise,” said DeRose on where the team will go from here.