Dec. 16, 2007
Box Score
Wingate, NC - Fayetteville State University dropped a hard-fought contest to Wingate University on the road, 71-66 inside Cuddy Arena on Saturday evening.
FSU came into this match-up on a three game winning streak, with their last victory over a week ago at home. With the court being redesigned at Capel Arena, the Broncos were forced to make adjustments to their practice schedule; which may explain some of the shooters' rust. Fayetteville State shot a season-low 35 percent from the field on a season-high 80 shot attempts (28-for-80).
Senior guard Jamel Austin led the Broncos in scoring with 15 points, along with six rebounds and three assists. Senior guard Phillippe Harris and junior guard Andy Gebru each pitched in 13 points to round out the FSU top scorers. Freshman forward Derek Holmes had a game-high 12 rebounds; the first Bronco with a double digit rebound performance this season.
Wingate would hold onto a small margin through much of the first half. A free throw by junior center Brandon Green cut the margin to 21-19 at the 5:33 mark. Wingate pushed the lead back to eight before FSU made another push. The Broncos closed the half on a 6-0 run, capped by a lay-up from Harris to send the Broncos into halftime down 31-29.
The Broncos shot 30 percent in the first half (12-of-40). Neither team had much success with three-point field goals, as the Bulldogs and the Broncos combined to shoot three-of-19 from the three-point line.
The second half would also be tightly contested. Fayetteville State tied the game for the fourth time at 37 with 17:00 minutes remaining; but could never push ahead for a lead. The Broncos had a chance to cut into the lead again, but a lay-up from Wingate forward Ben Davis put the Bulldogs up 70-65 with 2:17 left to play.
Neither team would hit a field goal the rest of the way. The two teams traded a single free throw to account for the final score, 71-66.
Wingate improves to 7-3 overall, while Fayetteville State slips below .500 at 3-4 for the season. The Broncos run into another long lay-off as they return to action Saturday, December 29th, when they take on Ouachita Baptist University in the West Florida University Classic.
