CHARLOTTE, NC --Caleb Simmons collected 20 points to help lead the Fayetteville State men's basketball team past the Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls 70-57 on the road Saturday.
Simmons added seven rebounds and five steals to his 20 point game to lead the Broncos (10-8, 5-3 CIAA). Khalil Ridges helped out with nine points, five assists, four steals and two blocks and Tairell Fletcher chipped in with 15 points and four assists.
Simmons pulled down four offensive rebounds to lead the Fayetteville State offense which grabbed 11 boards and turned them into 10 second chance points.
Fayetteville State forced 13 Johnson C. Smith turnovers while committing 11 themselves in Saturday's game. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 22 points on the offensive end of the floor. Simmons' five steals led the way for Fayetteville State.
Within CIAA Divisional play, FSU improves to 2-0 while JCSU (10-6, 5-4 CIAA) drops to 1-2.
How It Happened
After jumping out to a 28-25 advantage, Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run with 2:35 left in the first half, culminating in a three from Kaleb Coleman, to increase its lead to 36-25, a score that would hold until halftime. Fayetteville State did most of its first half damage in the paint, scoring 24 of its 36 points close to the basket.
Fayetteville State kept its lead intact before going on a 7-0 run, finished off by Fletcher's layup, to grow the lead to 68-52 with 2:25 to go in the contest. The Golden Bulls narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Broncos still cruised the rest of the way for the 70-57 win. Fayetteville State took care of business in the paint, recording 22 of its 34 points in the lane.
Game Notes
» Fayetteville State never trailed on the way to a 70-57 victory.
» Fayetteville State tallied 17 total assists in the game.
» Fayetteville State had a 29-27 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 13 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
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Caleb Simmons led the Broncos with a game-high 20 points.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high seven rebounds from
Caleb Simmons.
The Broncos will travel to Salisbury, NC to take on the Blue Bears of Livingstone at 7:30 pm in Capel Arena.
