Fayetteville, NC – Fayetteville State went cold in Capel Arena against the Defending CIAA Champions, Virginia Union, and let a five-game win streak come to an end after a 63-53 loss.
 
The Panthers improve to 13-1 overall (4-1 in the CIAA) with the win while the Broncos fall to 8-5 and 3-2 in the conference.
 
Senior Yakima Clifton led the game with 16 points while junior Shantel Bennett helped the effort with 15 points of her own.
 
Fayetteville State took an early 14-6 lead which manifested into a 18-12 first quarter score. The first Bronco drought allowed Virginia Union to take a four-point lead (24-20) with 3:30 left in the half. The scoring struggles continued as VUU closed out the half with a 7-0 run and a 31-25 halftime lead. During the second quarter, the Broncos had only managed to score seven points.
 
Yakima Clifton scored 14 of her points in the second half. Fayetteville opened the half with an improved 20-point performance compared to Virginia Union's 15 points.
 
At the closing buzzer of the third quarter, Clifton drained a three-ball to bring the Broncos within one (46-45). From the middle of the fourth until 43 seconds left in the game, Virginia Union went on a 12-0 run for a 63-51 advantage. The Broncos went scoreless for a little over three minutes. Aminata Johnson scored a layup with 3:29 left in the game and Katisha Hyman hit a pair of free throws with 31 seconds left.
 
Four Panthers scored in double digits. Christina Deng led VUU with 14 points while Rejoice Spivey followed with 13. Shareka McNeill and Ifunanya Okoye contributed 11 and 10 points, respectively.
 
Fayetteville State will host Bowie State on Monday, January 14^th at 5:30 pm in Capel Arena. General Admission is $12.