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Feb. 26, 2008
Box Score |
Lady Broncos at the '08 CIAA Tournament
Charlotte, NC - The Lady Broncos advance to the semifinals of the CIAA Women's Tournament by eliminating Saint Augustine's College Tuesday afternoon 86-76 from the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. Each team earned a regular season victory on their home court. The third and final game would be decided in the second round of the 33rd Annual CIAA Women's Basketball Tournament. The Lady Falcons entered the competition as the No. 4 seed, with an overall regular season record of 18-9. Fayetteville State entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, finishing the season at 16-11; both teams received a first round bye due to their seeding. Saint Augustine emerged early in the first half with two three-pointers, which had them up seven (15-8) before a FSU timeout was called. All-CIAA guard Whitney Griffis advanced the Lady Falcons to their largest lead of 17 with three consecutive field goals. At the 10:31 mark of the opening period, FSU faced a 27-10 deficit. With just six minutes remaining before the half, the Lady Broncos ignited a 20-4 run that lasted nearly five minutes to tie the game at 30 before the one-minute mark. All-conference senior guard Leticia Dickson sank a free throw to give the Lady Broncos their first lead (31-30) since the 17:08 mark. Saint Augustine's would recapture the lead, but Dickson hit a long range jumper at the buzzer to conclude the half and send the Lady Broncos into the locker only down two (39-37). Fayetteville State shot 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from the field and 66.7 percent (12-of-18) from the free throw line. CIAA Rookie of the Year Allison Sikes pulled down seven rebounds for the Lady Falcons in the first half, but shot 0-3 from the field. At the 15:23 mark, sophomore guard L' Oreal Price drove to the basket for a lay-up and was fouled in the process. Price made the free throw to convert the three-point play and give the Lady Broncos a 44-43 lead. FSU had the advantage for the remainder of the contest. Fayetteville State led by as much as 12 in the second half. Two of Saint Augustine's top performers, Chanel Kinard (14 points, seven rebounds) and Whitney Griffis (14 points, eight rebounds) fouled out of the contest. In her first CIAA experience, L' Oreal Price finished with 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists to earn the Food Lion Game Three Most Valuable Player Award. Dickson was the top scorer for FSU with 19 points. Three other Lady Broncos concluded with double digit point totals; including freshman forward Erica Gilley (13 points), senior center Tenisha McArthur (11 points), and freshman center Saybah Sammy (10 points). Fayetteville State will await the winner of the of the No. 9 seed Virginia State and top seed Shaw University for their semi-final match-up. The contest will take place on Friday, February 29th at 1:00 pm from the Charlotte Bobcats Arena.
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