FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – Deja Middleton had game-highs of 19 points and 14 rebounds to key a second-half rally by Fayetteville State University in a 60-49 CIAA women's basketball win over Saint Augustine's College on Saturday (Feb. 6) at Capel Arena.
With the win, the Lady Broncos (13-6 overall, 9-4 CIAA, 4-0 Western Division) remained in first place in the CIAA Western Division. The Lady Falcons fell to 12-9 overall, 8-6 CIAA and 2-2 in the Western Division. LaQuasha Jordan added 16 points including 3 of 5 three-pointers for the Lady Broncos, who finished the game on a 35-13 run.
Middleton, a 6-foot-4 center, scored 17 points in the second half, mainly on layups and putbacks, to help the Lady Broncos erase an 11-point second half lead.
Keyona Bryant (So./Springdale, Md.) led the Lady Falcons with 15 points and eight rebounds, and Eliezer Iceson (Sr./Harlem, N.Y.) added nine points, six rebounds and a game-high five steals. Bryant was the only double-figure scorer for the Lady Falcons, who shot a season-low 25 percent and committed 29 turnovers. The Lady Falcons shot 12 percent in the second half.
Bryant scored 12 points in the first half as the Lady Falcons went into the locker room ahead 32-25. The Lady Falcons opened a 36-25 lead early in the second half on a follow shot by Allison Sikes (Jr./Richmond, Va.). It was the biggest lead of the game for the Lady Falcons.
The Lady Broncos responded by going on a 14-0 run, keyed by full-court pressure. Middleton hit two free throws for a 39-36 Lady Bronco lead, forcing the Lady Falcons to call timeout.
Scharlawn Hubbard (Fr./Akron, Ohio) of the Lady Falcons stopped the run with a free throw. But Middleton hit another close bank shot for a four-point FSU lead, and Jordan's three-point play gave the Lady Broncos a 56-43 lead with a little over three minutes remaining.
The Lady Falcons shot out to a 6-1 lead in the opening moments. The Lady Broncos went ahead 21-16 with eight minutes left in the half behind the long-range shooting of Jordan, who connected on 3 of 3 three-pointers at that point.
LeKiesha White (Jr./Richmond, Va.) of the Lady Falcons tied the score at 21-21, and Jolisa Williams (So./Charles City, Va.) canned another three-pointer to put the Lady Falcons up 24-21. The Lady Falcons led the rest of the half, stretching the lead to 31-23 on Ariel Brown's (Jr./Cherry Hill, N.J.) follow shot with about one minute remaining.
The Lady Falcons gained their halftime lead by scoring 16 points on 14 Lady Bronco turnovers. Iceson and White combined for seven of the 9 Lady Falcon steals in the first half.
The Lady Falcons get a day off before traveling to Charlotte, N.C, for a Western Division contest against Johnson C. Smith University on Monday (Feb. 8). Game time is 5:30 p.m.
