Fayetteville, NC (Monday, January 31, 2022) – Fayetteville State women's basketball notched another "W" in the win column with an 80-73 victory over Lincoln (Pa.) in Capel Arena. The Broncos improve to 10-8 overall and 7-3 in the conference standings. The Lions fall to 14-6 and 7-3.
Rasheka Simmons improved her career-best in scoring, by one point, with a game-high 27 points. The junior guard from Reynolds, Georgia also led the game with four steals.
Keayna McLaughlin filled out the stat sheet with a personal best 19 points. The freshman guard from Southern Pines, NC had a perfect 3-3 from three-point land and 6-6 in free throws. She was 5-6 shooting from the field and pulled down six rebounds with three assists and steals, and one block.
Aniylah Bryant contributed 16 points.
It was an even start after the opening tip until FSU closed out the quarter with an 8-0 run for a 19-10 lead. McLaughlin nailed a three for the Broncos' first score of the second quarter, which created the first double-digit lead (22-12) at 8:32 before the half. Lincoln would eventually cut the lead down to four (32-28), but McLaughlin would hit her third three for the 35-28 halftime lead.
Although Lincoln scored more points than FSU in the third quarter (20-16), the Broncos had an answer to the Lions' comeback effort. When LUPA trailed by one (40-39) with 5:01 left in the period, FSU had a 6-0 run with 3-of-4 free throws and a basket by Bryant and continue to hold onto the lead with a 51-48 advantage after three quarters.
Simmons popped a three to start the fourth quarter and added a layup on the following trip down the court for five unanswered points.
Bryanna Brown led Lincoln (Pa.) with 20 points, making 4-of-7 three-pointers. She gave the Lions a two-point lead (62-60) with 5:36 remaining in the game.
With the game sitting tied (63-63) with 4:33 left, Bryant netted a three-ball and Simmons tipped in her own missed shot for a 68-63 lead. In the final minute and sixteen seconds, Fayetteville State made 12-of-14 free throws to secure the victory.
After playing five games in nine days, Fayetteville State will have a break until Saturday, February 5
th when the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith visits Capel Arena.
