ORANGEBURG, S.C. -- Imani Elliott collected a career-high 30 points to help lead the Fayetteville State women's basketball team over the Claflin Panthers 76-52 on the road Wednesday.
Elliott added four assists and three steals to her career game to lead the Broncos (17-6, 13-2 CIAA, 8-1 South). Keayna McLaughlin helped out with nine points, four assists and five steals and CIAA Player of the Week Aniylah Bryant chipped in with 17 points and three steals.
Morgan Graham pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Fayetteville State, grabbing 12 boards and turning them into seven second chance points.
Fayetteville State forced 20 Claflin turnovers while committing 18 themselves in Wednesday's game. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 21 points on the other end of the floor. McLaughlin's five steals led the way for Fayetteville State.
Claflin (12-12, 5-10 CIAA, 2-7 South) was led by Janelle Sample, who scored 20 points.
How It Happened
After falling behind 1-0, Fayetteville State went on a 5-0 run with 8:54 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Bryant, to take a 5-1 lead. Claflin then responded to tie things up at 12-12 heading into the second quarter. Fayetteville State relied on its three-point shooting in the period, knocking down three shots to account for nine of its 12 points.
The game stayed tied until Fayetteville State went on a 9-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from McLaughlin, to take a 32-23 lead. The Broncos proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 35-25 advantage heading into halftime.
Following intermission, Fayetteville State continued to expand its advantage, pushing it to 47-33 before going on a 6-0 run, punctuated by a basket from London Thompson, to expand its lead further to 53-33 with 1:03 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 53-37 edge. Fayetteville State knocked down five three-pointers in the quarter to score 15 of its 18 total points.
Fayetteville State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Elliott's three, to grow the lead to 72-50 with 1:03 to go in the contest. The Broncos kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 76-52 win.
Game Notes
» The Broncos shot well from three point range, knocking down eight of 18 long range attempts.
» The Broncos held the Panthers to only 31.6 percent shooting from the field.
» Fayetteville State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» Imani Elliott, Aniylah Bryant, and Morgan Graham combined to account for 75 percent of the Broncos points.
» The Fayetteville State bench made an impact by adding 36 points to its scoring output.
» Fayetteville State had a 40-34 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 20 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Imani Elliott led the Broncos with a game-high 30 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 9 rebounds from London Thompson.
