Orangeburg, SC – Fayetteville State men's basketball had a rough time in Orangeburg, SC in a 72-66 rollercoaster loss to divisional opponent Claflin University (11-12 overall).
 
The Broncos (17-6 overall) drop to fourth in the CIAA Southern Division with a 6-6 conference record. Claflin replaces FSU at the third spot with a 7-6 record.
 
Jalen Seegars (Greensboro, NC) and Denzel Hosch each scored 15 points with Darian Dixon (Bowie, MD) adding 12.
 
Claflin had a bit more balance in scoring with four players in double digits. Cornellius Reynolds and Rodney Prichard added 13 points each while Devin Smith and Russell Robinson, Jr. chipped in 12 apiece. The Panthers out rebounded the Broncos 32-27. Winning the battle on the board led to 11 second chance points compared to the Broncos 8 and 26 points in the paint to FSU's 24.
 
Fayetteville State was forced to call two timeouts early in the first half after the Panthers went ahead 14-5 at the 12:14 mark. The Broncos cut the deficit down to four (14-10) following a three-pointer by Seegars, but Claflin increased its lead to ten (22-12) with more than eight minutes left in the half.
 
As with a rollercoaster, FSU tied the game at 29 with 2:43 on the clock and took a five-point lead (38-33) into the locker room at the half.
 
Immediately after the half, Seegars gave FSU an 11-point lead (46-35) with a three-ball two minutes after the break.
 
After five Bronco turnovers, Claflin was down by three (51-48) and eventually took a one-point (60-59) lead with four minutes left in the game. That lead jumped to five (64-59) within a minute's span of play and grew to ten (69-59) with less than a minute left in the game until the final buzzer.
 
Fayetteville State will travel to Livingstone in Salisbury, NC on Wednesday, February 5 to attempt to raise its standing in the Southern Division. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 pm.