SALISBURY, NC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team fought back from a 55-53 deficit after the third quarter to beat the Livingstone Blue Bears 80-68 on the road Thursday.
The Broncos (15-6, 11-2 CIAA, 6-1 South) had three players score in double figures, led by Aniylah Bryant, who had a career high 25 points and three steals. Imani Elliott added 17 points and two steals off the bench and Keayna McLaughlin chipped in as well with 13 points, six rebounds and four steals.
Led by Alexis Radcliff's four offensive rebounds, Fayetteville State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 13 boards that resulted in 19 second chance points.
Fayetteville State forced 25 Livingstone turnovers while committing 20 themselves in Thursday's game. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 28 points on the offensive end of the floor. McLaughlin's four steals led the way for Fayetteville State.
Livingstone (9-16, 3-10, and 3-4 in the Division) was led by Jamiah Lane's 15 points and six rebounds. Alexis Lake contributed 12 points.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 18-9 at the end of the first quarter.
The Broncos and Blue Bears then played an even second quarter making the halftime score 38-29 in favor of Livingstone.
Fayetteville State came out of halftime on fire, going on a 5-0 run to trim its deficit to 38-34 with 8:31 to go in the third. The Broncos continued to reduce the Livingstone lead, shrinking it to 55-53 by the end of the third quarter. Fayetteville State played well near the basket, scoring 12 of its 24 points in the paint.
Fayetteville State then came back to even it up at 56-56 before going on a 7-0 run to seize a 63-56 lead with 7:07 to go in the contest. The Broncos kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 80-68 win. Fayetteville State took advantage of six Livingstone turnovers in the quarter, scoring nine points off of those takeaways.
Game Notes
» The Broncos rallied from a two-point 55-53 third quarter deficit to pick up the win.
» Fayetteville State rallied from a nine-point 38-29 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
» The Fayetteville State bench came alive by scoring 28 points to its scoring output.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 25 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
» Aniylah Bryant led the Broncos with a game-high and career best 25 points.
» Fayetteville State got a team-high six rebounds from Keayna McLaughlin.
