Jan. 29, 2011
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - Tim Plummer first brought the Fayetteville State faithful to its feet with a rim-rattling one-handed jam off a missed 3-pointer, way back in the first half.
With 4.4 seconds left in the game, he brought them to their feet again.
Plummer capped a brilliant performance with a dagger of a jump shot, preserving a stunning 77-73 victory for the Fayetteville State Broncos over the first-place Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls on Saturday night at Felton J. Capel Arena.
"When the crowd is like this, there's no better place to be than at Fayetteville State," said Plummer (Jr., Apex, NC).
Plummer, who made 7 of 11 shots from the field, hit the 15-footer as the shot clock was winding down in a two-point game to lift the Broncos (9-8, 5-4, 1-1) to their first victory over the Golden Bulls since a 68-63 win in the 2005 CIAA Tournament. Fayetteville State lost 84-50 the last time it played JC Smith on Feb. 23, 2010, and this loss was the first in league play this season for the Golden Bulls (12-5, 8-1, 1-1).
"It's just a testament to these guys," said Fayetteville State head coach Alphonza Kee. "We knew we were dangerous, and we've been believing this was in us for a long time. This is a great victory for our program."
Plummer finished with 16 points to go with eight rebounds, four steals, four assists and three blocked shots - not to mention at least three dunks. None of his jams were better, though, than the one that wasn't designed for him.
After Ariel Robinson (Sr., Coral Springs, FL), who played for the first time since injuring his ankle last week against Virginia Union, missed a 3-point attempt, Plummer came soaring through the lane, rising high to corral the rebound with his right hand. His arm extended, Plummer tomahawked the jam through, giving the Broncos a 44-32 lead with 2:32 to go in the first half and bringing the substantial crowd to a collective roar.
Fayetteville State, which shot 53 percent from the field to overcome 18 turnovers in the first half and lead 44-34 at the break, built on its lead in the first few minutes of the second half. The Broncos patiently ran through their offensive sets and used a staggering rebounding advantage - FSU held a 56-26 edge on the glass - to rip off a quick 9-0 run that handed FSU its biggest lead, 53-36, with 16:33 to go.
While the Broncos were able to hold the Bulls at bay for most of the half, Smith used a 9-1 run to creep within two, 73-71, with 2:06 remaining, setting the stage for Plummer's next great play.
After the teams traded baskets in the final minute - the Broncos' Seth Hawkins (So., Greensboro, NC) made a dazzling left-handed scoop shot off the glass to put FSU back in front by four - FSU held possession with 38 seconds left after Ronald Thornhill cut the lead to two again with a leaner off the glass.
Content to let the Broncos run the clock down, Johnson C. Smith allowed Fayetteville State to back out of its offense until the shot clock hit 10 seconds. Jarrick Jones, who helped hold the CIAA's leading scorer Trevin Parks to 17 points on 5-of-16 shooting, slipped a pass to Plummer, who rose and let the jumper fly as the shot clock neared zero. The ball swished through with 4.4 seconds to go, and Parks' desperation heave was a moot point. When the horn sounded, fans rushed the court to celebrate what must be considered the most important victory in Kee's short tenure as head coach.
"I just wanted to win," Plummer said about the clutch shot.
Sidney Evans (Jr., Durham, NC) recorded his team-high fifth double-double of the season with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds while John Herrington enjoyed his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points - one shy of his career-high - to go with 12 rebounds. Andre Best (So., Raleigh, NC) led all players with seven assists, including a gorgeous downcourt pass that he lofted high over two defenders' heads and softly into the waiting hands of Herrington, who made the layup midway through the second half. Best also had a game-high five steals.
Tyrell Tate (Fr., Raleigh, NC) scored nine of his 11 points in the first half and Jarmel Baxter (Jr., Davidson, NC) added 10 points for the Broncos.
Earl Jackson added 13 points while Antwan Wilkerson had 11 for the Golden Bulls. Delonta Boyd and Ronald Thornhill had nine points apiece for Johnson C. Smith, which was held to 41 percent shooting on the night.
The victory is the fourth in the last six games for the Broncos, who shook off back-to-back league losses last week with two CIAA victories this week. Fayetteville State returns home to Capel Arena, where the Broncos are 5-2 this season, to play Shaw at 7:30 on Monday night.
