CIAA Basketball: Winston-Salem State 74, Livingstone 54

By David Shaw

dshaw@salisburypost.com

SALISBURY — One step forward and two steps back.

That’s been a recurring pattern for the Livingstone men’s basketball team this season — and Saturday night’s 74-54 loss to visiting Winston-Salem State provided another example.

“We make some gain and then we go backwards,” coach James Stinson said after the Blue Bears lost for the 12th time in their last 14 games. “We have to get on that roll. I think right about here is where we caught fire last year.”

Last March’s CIAA championship-game loss to Shaw seems like ages ago to LC (5-12, 2-8), now tenants of the league’s Southern Division basement.

“We’ve just gotta start playing with higher energy and use the system as a guideline,” junior forward Nasir Austin said. “Sometimes we stray a little. We’ve got to run our plays and stay on course.”

Livingstone, fresh off an exciting conference win at St. Augustine’s on Wednesday, looked downright organized in the early going. Playing composed basketball, Josh Hodge’s tip-in and Austin’s layup gave the Blue Bears a 17-13 lead with 7:35 remaining in the first half.

“We were playing together,” sophomore Mark Thomas said after scoring a team-high 16 points off the bench. “Passing it around, looking for each other, waiting for good shots.”

Encouraging as it was, it was short-lived. Four minutes later Livingstone trailed 26-17, thanks chiefly to the turbo-charged effort of Winston-Salem’s Justin Glover. The junior guard out of Davidson Community College scored nine unanswered points — including four off back-to-back steals — to help the Rams (16-4, 8-2) surge ahead.

“He’s a pretty good gambler,” said teammate Kimani Hunt, the game’s high-scorer with 27 points and another DCCC product. “He brings defensive intensity. You don’t have to play too much offense when you play defense like he does.”

Glover shot 7-for-12 from the floor and finished with 21 points, but his penchant for larceny (3 steals) pleased him most.

“That’s my role,” he said. “I’m a defensive gambler. It helped that we changed defenses a couple times and made them go against different looks. They never got comfortable.”

Hunt was even more spectacular. In only his second start of the year, he hit 9 of 11 field goal attempts, including 6-for-8 from three-point range, and snatched nine rebounds. The 6-foot-6 forward seemingly turned the court into his personal playground.

“I knew that would be something he’d be able to do against us,” Stinson said. “He’d have opportunities because he’s a pop-type player. He doesn’t just stay inside. He pops out and shoots.”

Hunt was pop magic after Livingstone drew within 60-52 on Omar Ford-Bey’s stickback with 2:13 to play. He drained a 3-pointer from each corner and sank a pair of free throws in the final minute, capping a decisive 14-0 WSSU flurry.

“Coach always says big-time players make big-time shots,” Austin said. “He showed up tonight, but we didn’t exactly make it hard on him.”

•

NOTES: LC plays the second of four consecutive home games Monday night when 14th-ranked Shaw visits. The Blue Bears dropped an 80-77 overtime decision when the teams met Jan. 26.

WINSTON-SALEM STATE (74) — Hunt 27, Glover 21, Bazemore 9, Thompson 8, Wells 7, Desmore 2.

LIVINGSTONE (54) — M.Thomas 16, Austin 12, Hodge 6, Redfern 4, Adams 3, T.Johnson 3, Jackson 2, Ford-Bey 2, Henry 2, Woodberry 2, Anderson 2, D.Thomas, Sellers.

WSSU 34 40 — 74

L’Stone 27 27 — 54