FAYETTEVILLE, NC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team shot 50 percent from beyond the arc on the way to a 67-63 win against the Francis Marion Patriots at home Saturday.
The Broncos (2-2) had three players score in double figures, led by Rasheka Simmons, who had a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Keayna McLaughlin added 11 points and Aniylah Bryant helped out with 11 points, four assists and three steals.
Fayetteville State collected 40 rebounds in Saturday's game compared to Francis Marion's 34, led by Simmons' 10 boards.
Fayetteville State did a great job disrupting Francis Marion shots in the contest, coming away with six blocks. Morgan Graham's five rejections led the way individually for the Broncos.
How It Happened
After playing to a 2-2 tie early in the game, Fayetteville State went on a 5-0 run with 7:20 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from McLaughlin, to take a 7-2 lead. The Broncos then lost some of that lead, but still entered the quarter break with an 11-10 advantage. Fayetteville State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 11 points.
Francis Marion rallied to take a 22-16 lead before Fayetteville State went on an 11-0 run starting at the 6:02 mark in the second period to take a 27-22 lead. The Patriots cut into that lead, but the Broncos still enjoyed a 32-28 advantage heading into halftime.
Fayetteville State wasted no time building on its lead, going on a 7-0 run, punctuated by a three from Imani Elliott, to expand its lead further to 39-28 with 7:25 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Broncos added two points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 49-36 edge. Fayetteville State knocked down four three-pointers in the quarter to score 12 of its 17 total points.
The Broncos then held on for the victory in the fourth quarter despite being outscored 27-18.
Game Notes
» Rasheka Simmons notched an impressive double-double for the Broncos with 20 points and 10 rebounds.
» The Broncos made half of their attempts from three point range, knocking down seven of 14 shots.
» The Broncos held the Patriots to only 35 percent shooting from the field.
» Fayetteville State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Fayetteville State bench made an impact by scoring 34 points to its scoring output.
» Fayetteville State had a 40-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 23 turnovers.
» The Broncos were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording six blocks as a team.
» Rasheka Simmons led the Broncos with 20 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 10 rebounds from Rasheka Simmons.
