BLUEFIELD, WV --The Fayetteville State men's basketball team got a 20-point performance from the bench but fell 57-56 to the Bluefield State Big Blues on the road Monday.
The Broncos (5-7 Overall, 1-2 CIAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Tyler Foster, who had 16 points and two steals. Khalil Ridges tacked on 14 points and two steals and Tairell Fletcher added nine points and two steals.
Bluefield State (6-8 Overall, 3-2 CIAA) also had two players score double figures. Jordan Hinds led his team by scoring 15 points and six rebounds, while Jaylen Bernard contributed 12 points.
Fayetteville State out-rebounded Bluefield State 43-31 in Monday's game, led by 10 boards from Sean Tony Hauser. The Broncos also grabbed 18 offensive rebounds and scored 24 second-chance points.
Fayetteville State forced 17 Bluefield State turnovers. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 13 points on the offensive end of the floor. Caleb Simmons led the way individually with two steals.
How It Happened
After falling behind 5-0, Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run with 18:22 left in the first half, culminating in a bucket from Fletcher, to take an 8-5 lead. Bluefield State then responded to tie things up at 29-29 heading into halftime. Fayetteville State saw the bench step up in the period, as non-starters registered nine of its 29 total points.
Bluefield State then snagged a 41-37 advantage before Fayetteville State responded by going on a 6-0 run, finished off by D'Marco Baucum's layup, to seize a 43-41 lead with 8:56 to go in the contest. Bluefield State re-asserted control, outscoring the Broncos 16-13 the rest of the way to hand Fayetteville State the 57-56 loss. Fayetteville State capitalized on eight Bluefield State turnovers in the period, collecting seven points off those turnovers.
Game Notes
» The Fayetteville State bench made an impact by adding 20 points to its scoring output.
» Fayetteville State lost despite a 43-31 rebounding advantage.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 17 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 18 offensive boards in the game.
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Tyler Foster led the Broncos with a game-high 16 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 10 rebounds from
Sean Tony Hauser.
The men will play Newberry at home in Capel Arena on December 30th at 2 pm.