CHARLOTTE, NC - It's been 18 years since the Fayetteville State Broncos swept a regular season series from Johnson C. Smith.
Clinging to a two-point lead, the Broncos were 3 minutes, 5 seconds, from accomplishing that feat.
They will have to wait another year.
Johnson C. Smith recovered from a 10-point second-half deficit and used a critical 17-4 run to take a late lead in the second half to rally past Fayetteville State 89-79 on Monday night.
Despite the Golden Bulls' game-changing run, the Broncos (10-10, 6-6, 2-3) led 77-75 with 3:05 remaining in the game following a tip-in by Tyrell Tate (Fr., Raleigh, NC). But Johnson C. Smith scored 14 of the game's final 16 points to hold off the upset-minded Broncos, who last swept a regular season series from the Golden Bulls in 1993. Fayetteville State stunned Johnson C. Smith (13-7, 9-3, 2-3) 77-73 on Jan. 29 at Felton J. Capel Arena in Fayetteville, handing the Golden Bulls their first CIAA loss of the season.
For much of the game, it looked like the Broncos were following the same pattern as that victory mere days ago. Fayetteville State opened up a double-digit lead in the game after matching the Golden Bulls' early intensity, using a 15-2 run sparked by 3-pointers from Jarmel Baxter (Jr., Davidson, NC), Travis Marcus (Fr., Washington, DC) and Seth Hawkins (So., Greensboro, NC) for a 33-22 lead with 8:45 to go in the first half.
Fayetteville State held onto a 10-point lead until late in the opening half, and still owned a 42-36 edge at the break.
Johnson C. Smith closed within three, 52-49, with 12:35 remaining in the game, but Fayetteville State again stretched its advantage to 10, getting a three-point play from Tate and a 3-pointer from Tim Plummer (Jr., Apex, NC) for a 63-53 edge with 8:33 left.
But the Golden Bulls' Trevin Parks, the CIAA's leading scorer, responded with a 3-pointer, and momentum began to shift. Hawkins answered with a 3-pointer to give Fayetteville State a 66-58 lead again, but Johnson C. Smith began to roll. Ronald Thornhill made a 3 to bring the Golden Bulls' within five, and though Tate dunked for a seven-point edge, he hung a tad long on the rim, leading to a technical foul.
Johnson C. Smith took advantage of the extra foul shots and possession, and with Parks leading the defensive charge, closed to within one, 70-69, with 5:10 to go.
The Golden Bulls managed a 75-72 lead to cap their 17-4 spurt, taking the lead with 4 minutes left. But Marcus had a three-point play to tie the game at 75, and then Tate's tip-in pushed the Broncos back in front with 3:05 remaining, setting up the final minutes.
Fayetteville State had trouble holding onto the ball in the waning minutes, and the Golden Bulls took advantage, taking an 81-77 lead with 1:48 to go and never looking back. Johnson C. Smith scored the final seven points of the game for the final margin.
Tate led the Broncos with 18 points while Plummer had 13 and a team-high seven rebounds. Hawkins had 10 points and Sidney Evans (Jr., Durham, NC) added 10.
Parks led all players with 36 points while Earl Jackson added 16 points and eight rebounds for the Golden Bulls. Thornhill had 13 points.
The Broncos will host Southern Division leader Livingstone at 7:30 on Saturday night at Felton J. Capel Arena.
