FAYETTEVILLE, NC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team took care of the basketball and had 10 fewer turnovers than Claflin in a 63-53 victory against the Panthers at home Thursday. FSU outscored Claflin 17-7 in the opening quarter and did not surrender the lead the rest of the night.
"It set the tone for the remainder of the game, our intensity was high and we were able to maintain it," said head coach Serena King-Coleman.
The Broncos (12-6, 8-2 CIAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Imani Elliott, who had 13 points, two steals, and hit two of the Broncos three 3-point shots in the game. Morgan Graham added a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds and Aniylah Bryant added eight points and three steals.
"I felt like myself again," Graham said postgame. "My teammates really helped me in the background."
Led by Graham's six offensive rebounds, Fayetteville State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 18 boards that resulted in 12 second chance points.
The Fayetteville State defense held Claflin shooters to only 38.3 percent from the field, including 26.7 percent from three-point range.
"I think we still have to continue to try and get more out of our bench," added King-Coleman. Imani Elliot has been a huge spark but we need more, and for us to be productive come tournament time we need to get production from everybody and a little more consistency."
How It Happened
Fayetteville State started out the scoring by going on an 8-0 run, culminating in a bucket from Keayna McLaughlin, to take an early lead with 5:11 left in the first quarter. The Broncos then added two points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter break with a 17-7 advantage. Fayetteville State did most of its first quarter damage in the paint, scoring 12 of its 17 points close to the basket.
Fayetteville State kept its first quarter lead intact before going on a 5-0 run starting at the 9:21 mark in the second period, highlighted by a bucket from Rasheka Simmons, to increase its lead to 22-9. The Panthers cut into that lead, but the Broncos still enjoyed a 27-19 advantage heading into halftime. Fayetteville State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down two three-point shots to account for six of its 10 points.
Following intermission, Fayetteville State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 37-27 before going on an 11-0 run to expand its lead further to 48-27 with 1:54 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Panthers had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Broncos still entered the fourth quarter with a 50-32 edge. Fayetteville State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 23 points in the paint.
Fayetteville State kept its lead intact before going on a 5-0 run to grow the lead to 63-53 with eight seconds to go in the contest, a score which would hold for the rest of the game. Fayetteville State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring eight of its 13 total points.
Game Notes
» Morgan Graham notched a double-double for the Broncos with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
» The Broncos held the Panthers to only 38.3 percent shooting from the field.
» The Broncos never trailed after taking a 17-7 first quarter lead.
» The Fayetteville State bench came alive by adding 31 points to its scoring output.
» The Broncos forced 29 Claflin turnovers while committing only 19 on the other end.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 29 turnovers.
» The Broncos were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying six blocks as a team.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
» Imani Elliott led the Broncos with 13 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 12 rebounds from Morgan Graham.
