Feb. 14, 2011
Final Stats
FAYETTEVILLE, NC - The smallest player is beginning to make the biggest impact for the Fayetteville State Broncos.
Seth Hawkins may stand just 5-foot-10 and go for only 165 pounds, but that didn't stop him from racing down the right side of the lane, drawing contact and lofting a shot high into the air. As he was falling to the hardwood at the baseline, the ball bounded around the rim and fell in. Hawkins, an 85 percent foul shooter, brushed himself off and had no trouble burying the bonus.
The Broncos led 61-52 with 9:30 to go after the three-point play, rallying from a 9-point halftime deficit on their way to a 75-64 victory over St. Augustine's on Monday night at Felton J. Capel Arena.
With the steady Hawkins (So., Greensboro, NC) running the show for the last 15 minutes, the Broncos (12-10, 8-6, 4-3) recovered from a 16-turnover first half and settled in to win for the second time in three days. Hawkins finished with nine points - all in the second half - to go with two rebounds and two assists while running the offense effectively. Two days earlier, he scored a season-high 13 points as the Broncos knocked off Livingstone.
"Seth is a luxury to have coming off the bench," said Fayetteville State head coach Alphonza Kee. "He takes care of the ball, can make the open shot and makes all of his free throws."
The Broncos were at their best when Hawkins was on the floor, but he had plenty of help. John Herrington (Jr., Jacksonville, NC) led all players with 14 points to go with six rebounds, four of which came in the game's final 3 minutes as the Broncos salted the game away with extra possessions. Tyrell Tate (Fr., Raleigh, NC) got the critical 15-1 run started that Hawkins capped with his three-point play, and finished with 13 points and seven rebounds. Sidney Evans (Jr., Durham) shook off a sluggish first half to finish with nine points and five boards.
The Falcons (8-15, 6-8, 2-5), who fell 77-68 to Fayetteville State nine days earlier, used an effective point zone in the first half to frustrate the Broncos' interior players. Chris Johnson and Nick Chamblee each had nine first-half points as St. Augustine's shot 48 percent from the field to build a 39-30 lead at the half.
But the Broncos came out more inspired in the second half, getting quick buckets from Tate to quickly get back into the game. Fayetteville State, not unlike its victory over then-ranked Livingstone on Saturday night, amped up its defensive intensity in the second half, and with Hawkins distributing, the Broncos were more careful with the ball, leading to good scoring chances.
Fayetteville State took its first lead of the game on Jarrick Jones' (Sr., Ridgeway, SC) jump shot to make it 53-52 with 12:18 remaining. Herrington hit a foul shot, Hawkins buried a runner and after Dominique Johnson drilled an 18-foot jumper from the middle of the floor, Hawkins made his dazzling play to cap the 15-1 spurt and give the Broncos their biggest lead to that point.
But that was the last field goal the Broncos made until Hawkins' floater with 47 seconds left. But a team that has struggled mightily from the foul line all season - Fayetteville State entered the game shooting just 62 percent from the stripe as a team - made 9 of 12 foul shots over the 9-minute stretch to hang onto the lead.
"We're maturing, and that's the biggest difference," Kee said. "Us making the foul shots, it's about growth."
The Broncos set their sights now on Johnson & Wales, a team the Broncos destroyed 126-62 on Dec. 1, 2010. The 126 points were the third-most Fayetteville State has scored in the history of the program. It was the most points the Broncos have scored in a single game since 1980.
Joel Kindred led the Falcons with 13 points while Chamblee had 12 and Johnson had 10. St. Augustine's was held to just 29 percent shooting in the second half.
