Nov. 22, 2008

Box Score

Fayetteville, NC - The Fayetteville State University men's basketball team suffered their first loss of the season to Bowie State 72-68, Saturday night inside Capel Arena.

Both teams had a conservative, low-scoring first half with Fayetteville State edging out the Bulldogs 25-23 going into the locker room. The Bulldogs went inside for the majority of their scoring. In the opening period, BSU outscored the Broncos 12-to-4 in the paint.

The game hung in the balance with FSU maintaining a slight advantage for most of the second half. However with 2:10 remaining, junior forward Jason Thompson had to hit a three-pointer to tie it up at 62. BSU guard Andrew Engel responded on the other end with a three of his own. The Bulldogs would not trail again in the contest.

Fayetteville State would get within two in closing seconds, but solid free throw shooting down the stretch secured the win for Bowie. The Bulldogs had a better day shooting from the field and the long ball. BSU shot 48.1% (25-of-52) from the floor and 53.3% (8-of-15) from the arc.

FSU connected on 22 of their 29 free throws (75.9%), but shot 32.3% (21-of-65) overall on the night.

Bowie had four finish with double digit point totals. Engel scored a game-high 20 points, while forward Armond Hill produced a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds for BSU.

Sophomore guard Ariel Robinson had a team-high 15 points, but he was only on target for four of his 20 shots attempted. Thompson contributed with 13 points and six rebounds. Senior center James Wooten rounded out the top scorers for FSU with his 11 points and five boards.

The Broncos' first loss this season puts them at 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference. BSU improves to the exact same record of 3-1 and 1-1 in the CIAA.

The Broncos must quickly rebound when they host Virginia Union University on Tuesday, November 25th. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 pm inside the Capel Arena.