Jan. 31, 2008
Box Score
Fayetteville, NC - The Lady Broncos earned their second victory of the season over Elizabeth City State University, 86-76, Thursday evening inside the Capel Arena.
Fayetteville State executed very well early against ECSU. With a little less than five minutes drained off the clock, FSU was up on the Lady Vikings 12-4. But Elizabeth City State would battle back and eventually take the lead past the mid-way point of the first half.
The remainder of the opening half would be a tug of war between the two CIAA foes; with FSU fighting to regain the advantage. As the first half came to a close, sophomore L' Oreal Price dished the ball inside to freshman Saybah Sammy. Sammy laid it in off the glass right before the buzzer sounded to send both schools into halftime tied at 43.
ECSU took advantage of their free throw opportunities. The Lady Vikings shot 89.5% (17-of-19) from the charity stripe in the first half, including 12 points ECSU's Celeste Trahan converted on 12 attempts from the line. The reigning CIAA Player of the Week scored 18 points, grabbed five rebounds, and handed out three assists in the opening.
Junior guard Jamara McMillan was the catalyst for the Lady Broncos in the first half. McMillan, a Durham, NC native, went five-of-seven from the field; including a perfect four-of-four from the three-point line to account for 17 points.
The second half continued to showcase two talented CIAA women's teams in a dual to improve in the standings. With the score tied for the eighth and final time of the contest; sophomore forward Patricia Holmes nailed a three-pointer to put FSU up 69-66 and spark a scoring run.
ECSU scored at the 5:48 mark to end a 9-0 FSU scoring run. The Lady Broncos would maintain their advantage and close out the ball game with an 86-76 win.
Trahan finished with a game-high 31 points and eight rebounds for the Lady Vikings. FSU had four players conclude the contest with double digit point totals. Junior forward Shacovia Sheppard led all Fayetteville State scorers with 22 points and six steals. McMillan put up 18 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Price had 12 points, six rebounds, and five assists; while Holmes finished with 10 points.
The victory improve the Lady Broncos to 13-7 overall and 10-2 in the CIAA. This is also the sixth consecutive win for FSU. Fayetteville State returns to the court Saturday, February 2nd to face the Lady Bulldogs of Bowie State University. The Lady Broncos will be looking to avenge their early season road loss to BSU. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30pm inside Capel Arena.
