FAYETTEVILLE, NC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team went into the half trailing Shaw 37-29, but fought back from the deficit to take down the Bears 75-67 at home Wednesday.
The Broncos (14-1, 7-0) had four players score in double figures, led by Keayna McLaughlin, who had 20 points. Talia Trotter tacked on 12 points and Aniylah Bryant chipped in as well with 11 points and four steals.
The Bears (9-7, 4-3) leading scorer, Alexis Radcliff, led the team with 24 points.
Trotter pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead an offense that racked up second chance opportunities for Fayetteville State, grabbing 25 boards and turning them into 24 second chance points.
Fayetteville State forced 14 Shaw turnovers while committing 12 themselves in Wednesday's game. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 16 points on the offensive end of the floor. Bryant's four steals led the way for Fayetteville State.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 25-14 at the end of the first quarter.
Shaw kept adding to that lead, building a 31-19 advantage before Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Trotter, to narrow its deficit to 31-27. Shaw responded and expanded its lead, leaving the Broncos trailing 37-29 heading into halftime.
Following halftime, Fayetteville State kept the Bears from growing their lead before going on a 9-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Amina Miles, to grab a 41-40 lead with 5:47 to go in the third. Before the third period was over, the Broncos added three points to that lead and entered the fourth quarter with a 56-52 edge. Fayetteville State took advantage of five Shaw turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off of takeaways.
Shaw proceeded to take a 57-56 lead before Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run, finished off by Trotter's layup, to seize a 64-57 lead with 6:49 to go in the contest. The Broncos kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 75-67 win. Fayetteville State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 19 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Morgan Graham notched a double-double for the Broncos with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
» Fayetteville State rallied from an eight-point 37-29 halftime deficit to pick up the win.
» Fayetteville State had a 51-35 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 14 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 25 offensive boards in the game.
» Keayna McLaughlin led the Broncos with 20 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 10 rebounds from Morgan Graham.
The Broncos will travel to Johnson C. Smith to face off against the Golden Bulls on Saturday, January 20th with tip off beginning at 2:00 pm.
