Livingstone, which faced St. Augustine’s on Saturday night at New Trent Gym, was blown out 99-59 by the Falcons on Jan. 24, prompting Joyner to put the score up in every player’s locker this week.

The Blue Bears responded to Joyner’s ploy.

Livingstone led almost the entire game and pulled out a 79-73 win against St. Aug’s yesterday. The Blue Bears entered the contest a half-game behind St. Augustine’s in the CIAA Western Division, but they seemed worlds apart after the first meeting.

“I didn’t care if I got out of here with 1/10th of a point, I just wanted to win the ballgame,” Joyner said.

The Falcons (12-10, 2-8) led for a total of one minute in the game, but they hung around and had a chance to tie the contest with less than 30 seconds remaining.

Livingstone (6-19, 2-7) led 74-71 when Blue Bear Jerome LaGrange came up with the play of the game, making a steal at midcourt and racing in for a game-clinching dunk with 26.7 seconds left.

For good measure, LaGrange got another breakaway opportunity following a Falcon miss on their next possession, and he threw home a reverse slam with 13.3 seconds left to give the Blue Bears a seven-point cushion.

“It was over,”Livingstone guard J.C. Henry said. “It was a sealed deal right there.”

LaGrange, who came out for the second half with his left ankle heavily taped, didn’t hesitate to finish up the win in style.

“No layups, I was just trying to put it in as hard as I can,” he said. “On the second one I got kind of tired from getting up and down the court.

“I was trying to go up with some power, and I thought about a windmill.”

LaGrange, who also switched from No. 4 to No. 25 late in the second half, finished with 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in 34 minutes.

Henry led the Blue Bears with 24 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field, and Ashford Gray and Paul Michael each scored 10 apiece.

Henry had 10 points in the first half, and he gave Livingstone a boost after the break with his 3-point shooting.

He hit three of his first five second-half attempts from behind the arc, and the third make gave the Blue Bears a 61-56 lead 1 minute, 19 seconds after St. Aug’s had tied the game.

Henry, the only LC player to hit a 3, finished 5-for-9 from downtown.

“They all set good screens, and we worked real hard in practice because the first game we played was embarrassing,”Henry said. “We had a lot to prove this game.”

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NOTES:Chris Johnson, who normally wears No. 24, also switched jerseys. He came out for the second half sporting No. 44. ... St. Aug’s went on a 12-0 run in the first half to take a 25-24 lead. Livingstone then went on an 8-0 run and never trailed again.

ST. AUGUSTINE’S (73) — Pope 25,
Peoples 17, Chapman 14, Richardson 5, Smith 4, Ward 4, Moore 2, Evans 2, Lane, Cooley, Morrow.

LIVINGSTONE (79) — Henry 24,
LaGrange 20, Gray 10, Michael 10, Nash 8, Johnson 4, Moses 2, Hilliman 1,
Morrison.

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