Feb. 29, 2008

Box Score

Charlotte, NC - The Fayetteville State University Lady Broncos were defeated in the 33rd Annual CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament by top seed and regular season Western Division champs, Shaw University 87-74 on Friday afternoon inside the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.

Shaw jumped out to a 20-3 lead in the first five minutes of the game. The Lady Broncos fell short on offense and committed 17 turnovers in first half. By halftime, FSU faced a 51-27 deficit. The Lady Bears shot 40.4 percent (19-of-47) from the field and an impressive 80 percent (12-of-15) from the free throw line.

Three minutes into the second half Celanese Bozeman hit a three-point, which expanded Shaw's lead to its largest point of 32. Bozeman finished the game with 27 points, 18 which were scored in the second half, and was named the Food Lion Most Valuable Player.

The Lady Broncos finally emerged from their drought with a 19-1 scoring run. With 9:08 remaining, FSU drew within 10 of Shaw (69-59) but could not narrow the lead down any further.

Freshman forward Erica Gilley was the top scorer for Fayetteville State with 20 points, also grabbing eight rebounds. All-CIAA senior guard Leticia Dickson had 17 points, but committed a season-high nine turnovers. In her final performance as a Lady Bronco, senior center Tenisha McArthur contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks.

The Lady Broncos finish the season with an overall record of 17-12 and make their first semi-final CIAA tournament appearance since 2003.