Jan. 20, 2011
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Even the technical foul shots wouldn't fall.
Fayetteville State struggled with its shooting from the foul line and the floor while Virginia Union's Braxton Byerson had no such problems as the Panthers downed the Broncos 78-66 at Felton J. Capel Arena on Thursday night.
Byerson led all players with a career-high 36 points, hitting eight 3-pointers, and added a game-high 16 rebounds to lift Virginia Union (7-5, 5-2), which snapped the Broncos' two-game winning streak. Wayne Ford added 11 points while Branden McDonald added 10.
The Broncos (7-7, 3-3) were led by Devin Thompson (Fr., Fayetteville, NC), who scored 16 points and made three 3s. Ariel Robinson (Sr., Coral Springs, FL) added eight points - all in the first half. Andre Best (So., Raleigh, NC) added seven points and a game-high seven assists. John Herrington (Jr., Jacksonville, FL), who returned after missing the last two games because of illness, had eight rebounds to share the team-lead with Tim Plummer (Jr., Apex, NC).
Fayetteville State struggled mightily from the foul line and field, shooting just 31 percent from the floor. But the Broncos were most hampered by the loss of their leading rebounder, Sidney Evans (Jr., Durham, NC), who did play because of illness, and Robinson, the team's leading scorer, who did not play in the second half after a possible injury.
Virginia Union rushed out to an 11-0 lead in the game's opening minutes, but Fayetteville State got itself back into the game, thanks in large part to Robinson, who made two 3-pointers as the Broncos outscored Virginia Union 25-15 to creep within one, 26-25, with 4:08 remaining in the first half.
But Byerson, a Preseason All-CIAA selection, was too much, hitting seven 3s and scoring 25 points in the second half while the Broncos couldn't get anything to go down, including foul technical foul shots. Virginia Union led by as many as 23 points in the second half on the strength of Byerson, who made 13 of 21 shots, shooting 8-for-14 from long range.
The Broncos return to action on the road against Southern Division rival Winston-Salem State on Saturday. Tipoff is 7 p.m.
