CHARLOTTE, NC --The Fayetteville State women's basketball team held Johnson C. Smith to just 37 percent shooting from the field, but fell 63-53 to the Golden Bulls on the road Saturday.
The Broncos (14-2, 7-1 CIAA) had two players score in double figures, led by Aniylah Bryant, who had 15 points, four assists, five steals and two blocks. Talia Trotter tacked on 11 points and three steals and Morgan Graham added six points and five blocks and rebounds.
The Fayetteville State defense was effective at taking away the basketball in Saturday's game, forcing 19 Johnson C. Smith turnovers while committing 17. Those takeaways turned into 21 points on the offensive end of the floor. Bryant's five steals led the way individually for the Broncos.
The victory by the Golden Bulls (8-7, 5-3 CIAA) propels them to 2-0 in the CIAA Southern Division while the Broncos drop to 1-1. Ciara Harris led JCSU with 15 points while Ashlei Kirven contributed 9 points and 9 rebounds and Kelis Carmon also with 9 points.
How It Happened
After falling behind 6-4, Fayetteville State went on a 6-0 run with 6:01 left in the first quarter, culminating in a bucket from Trotter, to take a 10-6 lead. The Broncos then surrendered that lead and entered the second quarter down 16-11.
The Broncos continued to lose ground in the second quarter and faced a 33-19 halftime deficit.
After intermission, Fayetteville State cut its deficit to 38-26 before going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Keayna McLaughlin, to trim its deficit to 38-31 with 7:26 to go in the third. Johnson C. Smith countered and stretched its lead to 50-40 heading into the fourth. Fayetteville State took advantage of seven Johnson C. Smith turnovers in the quarter, scoring eight points off of takeaways.
Fayetteville State narrowed its deficit to 56-48 before going on a 5-0 run, finished off by McLaughlin's layup, to shrink the deficit to 56-53 with 1:27 to go in the contest. Johnson C. Smith responded and outscored the Broncos the rest of the way, ending the game with a final score of 63-53. Fayetteville State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 10 of its 13 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» The Broncos held the Golden Bulls to only 37 percent shooting from the field.
» The Broncos shared the ball well, recording an assist on 63 percent of made field goals.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 19 turnovers.
» The Broncos were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying seven blocks as a team.
» Aniylah Bryant led the Broncos with 15 points.
» Fayetteville State got five rebounds from both Keayna McLaughlin and Morgan Graham.
Fayetteville State will travel to Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC on Thursday, January 20 at 5:30 p.m.
