Feb. 26, 2009

Final Stats

CHARLOTTE, NC - Fayetteville State literally lived by the three, while Livingstone died by the three on Wednesday (Feb. 25).

As a result, the Broncos advanced to the men's quarterfinal basketball round after holding on 70-67 in the first round of the CIAA Tournament at Time Warner Cable Arena.

The Broncos (13-14 overall) were deadly behind the arc, making 10 of 18 3-pointers for 56 percent. Meanwhile, the Blue Bears (14-14) were 4 of 18 behind the arc for 22 percent.

No missed three-pointer loomed larger than the one the Blue Bears missed as the buzzer sounded. It would have tied the game and capped an improbable comeback for the Blue Bears, who trailed 67-57 with 2:51 left in the game.

But the Broncos survived the 10-3 run to reach the quarterfinal round Thursday. They will play top-seed Virginia Union at 9 p.m.

Andy Gebru scored 16 points to lead four Broncos' double-figure scorers. Ariel Robinson and Jarrick Jones both scored 13 points and Jason Thompson added 12 points and nine rebounds for the Broncos, last year's CIAA finalists. Sean Booker of the Blue Bears led all scorers with 24 points and teammates Calvin Gunning and Taylor added 15 and 13 points, respectively.

The three-pointers helped the Broncos shoot 49 percent for the game while the Blue Bears made 40 percent of their shots.

The Broncos shot 58 percent in the first half including 67 percent on 8 of 12 three-pointers for a 39-34 halftime lead. The CIAA leaders in 3-point field goals made, the Broncos surpassed their average of 7.67 points in the first half. Gebru (11 first-half points) was 3-for-3, Jones was 4-for-4 and Robinson was 3-for-6 from the 3-point arc for the Broncos.

The Blue Bears scored most of their points inside, holding a 22-6 point advantage in the paint in the first half. Booker led the way with 9 first-half points and Gunning added 7 points for the Blue Bears, who were 3-for-11 for 27 percent behind the arc. The Blue Bears made 40 percent of their shots in the first half.

The first half was a high-scoring affair with both teams trading leads. The Broncos were hot from the start, jumping to a 10-0 lead in the first three minutes before the Blue Bears caught fire with a 14-2 run to go ahead 14-12. Taylor scored six consecutive points for a 21-14 Blue Bear lead before the momentum swung back to the Broncos, who ended the first half with a 25-12 spurt for a five-point halftime lead.

The Broncos started the second half like the first, stretching their 39-34 halftime lead to 50-36 on Robinson's layup in the first four minutes. But the lead dwindled to 54-51 at about the midway point as the Blue Bears went on a 15-4 run. The Broncos pushed the lead up to 10 before the Blue Bears went on their final run in the last two minutes.