WINSTON-SALEM, NC – Claflin used some great play late to claim a 71-62 win at Winston-Salem State, Thursday evening.
Though the Panthers were in control for nearly the entire game, the team had to fend off a late run by the Rams to claim the key Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association victory.
The Panthers (18-4, 9-4 CIAA) took the win behind a balanced attack with three players reaching double-digit scoring.
Junior guard Bryson Dennis led the way with 17 points in the game while Daijohn Stewart came off the bench to score 12 points of his own. Senior forward Allen Hatchett added 10 points as well.
The first half was a tough one, with neither team going ahead by more than seven points for much of the period. However, in the final two minutes of play, the Panthers surged ahead as a Hatchett 3-pointer with just over 40 seconds left to play in the half sealed a Claflin run to give them a 36-25 halftime lead.
The second half told a different story, however. Once again, the Panthers remained in control of the game, but they soon had to fend off a hard-charging Winston-Salem State (16-6, 8-5 CIAA) team that cut the Panthers’ lead down to 61-57, with 4:05 left to play.
It was then that the Panthers would go on a 10-2 run that was capped by a Stewart lay-up with 26 seconds left to play to give the Panthers a 71-59 lead.
Courtesy: Claflin Athletics
