Courtesy of Fayetteville State Athletics
BOWIE, MD — Rasheka Simmons led Fayetteville State (9-5 overall, 5-1 CIAA) with 23 points and two steals on the way to a 53-47 Fayetteville State victory over the Bowie State Bulldogs on the road Monday CIAA cross-divisional play.
Aniylah Bryant tacked on seven points, four assists, two steals, and two blocks and London Thompson helped out with five points and five rebounds.
Bowie State (8-7, 4-2 CIAA) was led by Anii Harris, who finished with 11 points and 4 rebounds.
Fayetteville State pulled down 34 rebounds in Monday’s game compared to Bowie State’s 28, led by six boards from Morgan Graham. The Broncos also put in work on the offensive glass, turning 12 rebounds into six second-chance points.
The Fayetteville State defense held Bowie State shooters to only 32.6 percent from the field, including 28.6 percent from three-point range.
How It Happened
Fayetteville State kept it close in the first quarter but entered the second frame down 11-8.
Bowie State kept adding to that lead, building a 15-8 advantage before Fayetteville State went on an 8-0 run, highlighted by a bucket from Simmons, to take a 16-15 lead. The Bulldogs then came roaring back to take a 25-22 lead heading into halftime.
FSU came out of halftime on fire, going on a 10-0 run to grab a 32-25 lead with 4:58 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Bulldogs had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Broncos still entered the fourth quarter with a 39-36 edge. Fayetteville State took advantage of 11 Bowie State turnovers in the quarter, scoring 10 points off of takeaways.
FSU started tacking on points in the fourth almost immediately, going on a 5-0 run, finished off by Simmons’ jumper, to grow the lead to 44-36 with 8:30 to go in the contest. The Bulldogs narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Broncos still cruised the rest of the way for the 53-47 win.
Game Notes
» The Broncos held the Bulldogs to only 32.6 percent shooting from the field.
» The FSU bench came alive by adding 28 points to its scoring output.
» Fayetteville State had a 34-28 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Fayetteville State defense forced 18 turnovers.
» Fayetteville State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 12 offensive boards in the game.
» Rasheka Simmons led the Broncos with a game-high 23 points.
» FSUgot a team-high six rebounds from Morgan Graham.
FSU will return home with CIAA Southern Division action against Johnson C. Smith University on Saturday, January 14. The Bronco women will play the second half of the doubleheader with a tip-off at 3:00 pm. The men will have a CIAA/Black College Sports Broadcasting Network televised game at noon.