Feb. 24, 2010
Final Stats
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Fayetteville State's 72-58 win over Johnson C. Smith did much more than advance the Broncos to the CIAA tournament semifinals.
FSU's third victory over the Golden Bulls this season helped it, once and for all, let go of its loss to St. Augustine's in the 2009 CIAA quarterfinals.
"We didn't want to think about last year," said FSU sophomore center Deja Middleton. "It's a new year, new coach and new team. Everything is better this year -- we were all just saying `don't think about the past.' This is today, a new day."
The Broncos (18-9) opened the game on a 20-10 run and wouldn't allow JCSU (18-10) within eight points the rest of the game.
Tiffany Haywood led FSU with 18 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Danielle Russell tallied 13 points, while L'oreal Price had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Junior guard LaQuasha Jordan added 10 points and had a team-high five assists.
"We knew that it was going to be a tough task," JCSU head coach Vanessa Taylor said. "The past two games that we played them we struggled to contain them on the inside with their post players. Tonight, we just struggled defensively."
FSU scored 42 points in the paint and shot a season-high 54.2 percent from the field. The Broncos shot 40 percent or better from the field only three times during the regular season.
"We were ready," Price said. "We had people dreaming about the game. When the whole team is ready, I don't think shooting is an issue."
JCSU shot 33.9 percent from the field. The Broncos have held 19 of their last 20 opponents to 40 percent or below shooting from the field.
"Our plan, as it has been all season, is defense," said FSU first-year head coach Eva Patterson-Heath. "I thought we came out and played a great game defensively. We came out in a 1-1-3 zone, something that we hadn't done all season. We just wanted to give a different look and it was pretty effective."
Patterson-Heath's team forced 28 JCSU turnovers and scored 20 points off of them.
"We wanted to limit (Demetria) Bell's opportunities to score," Patterson-Heath said. "I think we did a good job of that."
Shakeena Cunningham led the Golden Bulls (18-10) with 14 points. Bell, a member of the 2010 All-CIAA team, added nine points and rebounds while Shakira Clarke contributed eight points.
Bell has battled injuries the entire season and is scheduled to undergo major surgery on her knee during the offseason. Taylor praised her not only for stellar play during her JCSU career, but also for leadership, determination and perseverance.
"She's been the heart and soul of this particular team this year," Taylor said. "She's been the captain and she will be sorely missed. She's definitely provided a strong example for the young women that we have in our program."
The Broncos will meet the winner of Thursday's Virginia State-St. Paul's game in one of two CIAA semifinals on Friday. Game times have not been announced.
FSU led 29-18 at halftime and by as much as 23 in the second half.
Middleton, the CIAA's defensive Player of the Year, had eight points, nine rebounds, two steals and a block.
