AUGUSTA, GA --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team rallied from a 59-56 deficit after the third quarter to take down the D2CSC nationally ranked #24 Augusta Jaguars 82-75 on the road Saturday.
The Broncos (6-1) had four players score in double figures, led by Aniylah Bryant, who had 27 points, four assists, and six steals. Keayna McLaughlin tacked on 13 points and two steals and Nyah Wilkins helped out with 12 points from the bench.
The Fayetteville State offense made hay from downtown, making eight threes on 17 attempts. Bryant hit four treys for the Broncos in the contest.
The Fayetteville State defense caused its share of mistakes in Saturday's game, forcing 21 Augusta turnovers while committing 12. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. Bryant's six steals led the way individually for the Broncos.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State started the scoring by going on a 7-0 run, culminating in a bucket from McLaughlin, to take an early lead with 8:07 left in the first quarter. The Broncos then added six points to that lead by the end of the period and entered the quarter-break with a 27-14 advantage. Fayetteville State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down five shots to account for 15 of its 27 points.
The Broncos surrendered their lead in the second quarter and entered halftime with the score tied 40-40. Fayetteville State was strong from deep in the period, knocking down three three-point shots to account for nine of its 13 points.
After intermission, Augusta snatched a 54-46 lead before Fayetteville State answered back by going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Bryant, to trim its deficit to 54-52 with 1:45 to go in the third. Augusta countered and stretched its lead to 59-56 heading into the fourth. Fayetteville State played well near the basket, scoring eight of its 16 points in the paint.
Fayetteville State managed to gain control and had a 72-71 lead before going on a 6-0 run to grow the lead to 78-71 with 21 seconds to go in the contest. The Broncos held onto that lead for the rest of the game for the 82-75 win. Fayetteville State got a boost from its bench in the period, with non-starters scoring 12 of its 26 total points.
Game Notes
» The Broncos rallied from a three-point 59-56 third-quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» The Broncos shot well from three-point range, knocking down eight of 17 long-range attempts.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 21 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Aniylah Bryant led the Broncos with 27 points.
» Fayetteville State got a team-high seven rebounds from Morgan Graham.
The Broncos will travel to Elizabeth City, NC on Thursday, December 14th to take on Elizabeth City State for their first conference game. The tip-off is 5:30 pm.
