Jan. 13, 2008

Final Stats

Story Courtesy of Lamont Hinson, FSU Sports Information

Fayetteville, N.C. - A tough home stretch takes it toll on the Broncos of Fayetteville State University as they drop a game at home 79-67 to the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University.

Johnson C. Smith converted 20 of 31 shots from the field in the opening half for a 64.6 shooting percentage. Maurice Hooper (Reidsville, N.C.) and Ryan Scott (Reston, Va.) combined for 22 of those points on 10-for-13 shooting from the field for the Golden Bulls, who were ahead 44-33 at halftime.

The Broncos got that deficit below double digits once in the second half. Senior guard Jamel Austin got FSU off to a promising start by nailing a 3-pointer and driving to the lane for a lay-up to trim the margin to 44-38.

JCSU scorched Fayetteville State in the first half with some impressive shooting, and then fought off a couple Broncos' rallies in the second half as they heading towards a 79-67 victory over FSU inside Capel Arena. Fayetteville State never led in the contest.

Freshman forward Derek Holmes was a solid offensive presence; coming off the bench to lead FSU in scoring with 18 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Senior guard Phillippe Harris had 15 points, two assists, and two steals; while junior guard pitched in 12 points and four rebounds.

JCSU offensive efforts were led by Hooper who had a game high 17 points. Edmund Rainey (Buffalo, N.Y.) chipped in 16 points and eight rebounds. Scott had 15 points, three assists and four steals while freshman Ronald Thornhill (Alberta, Va.) chipped in 10 points.

FSU suffers their second defeat during a three-game home stretch in which they faced all CIAA opponents. Fayetteville State is now 6-8 overall and 2-4 in the conference, while JCSU is 9-4, 3-2 in the CIAA.

The Bulls will travel to Bowie, Md. to square off against the Bulldogs of Bowie State University in CIAA men's basketball action. The contest will take place Thursday, January 17th; tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.