ORANGEBURG, SC --Tairell Fletcher collected 21 points and Caleb Simmons added 20, but the Fayetteville State men's basketball team fell to the Claflin Panthers 71-69 on the road Wednesday.
Fletcher and Simmons' stellar scoring performances led the Broncos (15-12, 10-7) in the contest. Fletcher tacked on three assists and Simmons added 11 rebounds. Khalil Ridges also helped out with nine points.
Simmons pulled down four offensive rebounds to pace the Fayetteville State offense which grabbed 13 boards and turned them into 12 second chance points.
Fayetteville State did a great job disrupting Claflin shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. D'Marco Baucum led the way individually for the Broncos with three rejections.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State struggled out of the gate, falling behind 39-28 heading into halftime.
Fayetteville State narrowed its deficit to 63-60 before going on a 9-0 run, finished off by Kaleb Coleman's three, to seize a 69-63 lead with 4:26 to go in the contest. Claflin re-asserted control, outscoring the Broncos 8-0 the rest of the way to hand Fayetteville State the 71-69 loss. Fayetteville State got a boost from its bench in the period, as non-starters accounted for 12 of its 41 total points.
Game Notes
»
Caleb Simmons notched an impressive double-double for the Broncos with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
» The Fayetteville State bench came alive by scoring 28 points to its scoring output.
» The Broncos were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, tallying five blocks as a team.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 13 offensive boards in the game.
»
Tairell Fletcher had a game-high 21 points and
Caleb Simmons added 20.
» Fayetteville State got a game-high 11 rebounds from
Caleb Simmons.
The Broncos will head to Raleigh, NC to compete against Saint Augustine's University on Saturday, February 24. This will be the last regular season game before heading to the CIAA tournament. The men will play at 2:00 pm EST.
