Box Score MURFREESBORO- The Chowan University men's basketball team rolled to their fifth straight win on Thursday evening in a 73-71 victory over the visiting Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls.  The Hawks advance to 10-3 on the year and 3-0 in CIAA play with the win.  The Golden Bulls move to 7-6 overall and 2-2 in league action after Thursday's setback.

Stedmon Lemon posted a game-high 20 points for Johnson C. Smith in the setback with Diondre Pratt and Robert Davis adding 19 points and 11 points, respectively.  Lemon grabbed a team-high eight rebounds (one offensive, seven defensive)for the Golden Bulls. 

The Hawks had five players score double-digit points in the win.  Jeremy Smith and Kortez Smith both scored 15 points for the Chowan Blue and White with Marco Haskins and Andrew Lopez adding 14 points apiece.  CIAA Newcomer of the Week Joe Goodwin notched 13 points in the contest along with five rebounds (one offensive, four defensive).  Jeremy Smith hauled in a game-high 15 rebounds (eight offensive, seven defensive) for the Hawks. 

Johnson C. Smith and Chowan battled through six ties in the first half before the Golden Bulls emerged with a comfortable advantage.  With the score tied 24-24 and 8:03 on the clock, Johnson C. Smith capitalized on a 16-1 run to take a commanding 40-25 lead heading into halftime.
 
The Hawks trailed by as many as 17 points (44-27) in the second half before cutting the deficit to eight points (46-38) with 14:11 left to play.  Chowan and Johnson C. Smith exchanged baskets in the final stretch of the contest before the Hawks managed to snag the momentum late in the half.  With the Golden Bulls clinging to a 67-62 lead with just 4:13 left to play, a three-pointer by Haskins followed by a three-pointer by Lopez handed the Hawks a narrow 68-67 advantage.  Kortez Smith answered with a jumper and a made free throw to push Chowan ahead by four points (71-67).  A jumper and two free throws by the Golden Bulls knotted the score 71-71 with 24 seconds left to play, but Kortez Smith buried a jumper with three seconds on the clock to secure the 73-71 win for Chowan.

The Hawks return to action on January 9^th to host Winston-Salem State University.  Tip-off for the CIAA crossover contest is slated for 4:00pm in the Helms Center.