GREENWOOD, SC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team fell to the Lander Bearcats (4-2 overall) 58-56 on the road Saturday on Wykira Johnson-Kelly's buzzer-beating shot as time expired.
Aniylah Bryant led the Broncos (4-1 overall) with 16 points and four steals. Amina Miles also added seven points and nine rebounds and Morgan Graham chipped in as well with eight points and two blocks.
Talia Trotter pulled down three offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Fayetteville State, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into eight second chance points.
Fayetteville State did a great job disrupting Lander shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Graham's two rejections led the way individually for the Broncos.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 14-9 at the end of the first quarter.
Lander kept adding to that lead, building a 28-11 advantage before Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a three from Bryant, to narrow its deficit to 28-19, a score that would hold until halftime.
After intermission, Fayetteville State cut its deficit to 29-21 before going on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 29-26 with 5:34 to go in the third. Lander countered and stretched its lead to 42-38 heading into the fourth. Fayetteville State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 19 points in the paint.
Fayetteville State came out of the third quarter break clicking on all cylinders, going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Bryant's layup, to seize a 44-42 lead with 8:04 to go in the contest. Lander re-asserted control, outscoring the Broncos 16-12 the rest of the way to hand Fayetteville State the 58-56 loss. Fayetteville State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 12 of its 18 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Fayetteville State lost on a last-second shot by Wykira Johnson-Kelly.
» The Broncos held the Bearcats to only 36.8 percent shooting from the field.
» The Fayetteville State bench came alive by adding 18 points to its scoring output.
» Fayetteville State lost despite a 38-37 rebounding advantage.
» The Broncos were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Aniylah Bryant led the Broncos with a game-high 16 points.
» Fayetteville State got a team-high nine rebounds from Amina Miles.
Fayetteville State will host Francis Marion on Tuesday, November 28 in the Felton J. Capel Arena at 6:30 pm.
