The Falcons are 4-5 in the Southern Division and 11-14 overall. The Blue Bears improved to 6-3 in the division and 15-9 overall.
Guard Anthony Gaskins (So./Greenville, NC) added 12 points, four assists and three steals for the Falcons. Forward Quincy January (Fr./Atlanta, GA) finished with 12 points and guard Tayron Gibson (Sr./Alexandria, VA) totaled nine points and seven rebounds.
The Falcons opened a 16-10 lead early on Gaskins' layup, but quickly fell behind and never led again. The Falcons trailed 38-22 at halftime after shooting 24 percent in the first half. The Blue Bears shot 54 percent in the first 20 minutes.
Both teams heated up in the second half. The Falcons and the Blue Bears each shot 61 percent and scored 49 points. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the first-half deficit was too much to overcome.
The Falcons shot 41 percent from the floor and the Blue Bears made 57 percent of their shots. Led by Jolliffe, the Falcons were 7 of 16 behind the three-point arc for 44 percent. The Blue Bears made 3 of 9 three-point attempts for 33 percent.
The Blue Bears were led by Eric Mayo with 18 points. Hakeem Jackson added 14 points and Ty Newman registered 12 points for the Blue Bears, who outrebounded the Falcons 42-31. The Blue Bears also connected on 20 of 28 free throw attempts for 71 percent while the Falcons were 8 of 17 for 47 percent.
The Falcons host Fayetteville State University on Saturday, February 21, in the last game of the regular season. The contest begins at 4 p.m. on the Harvey D. Heartley, Sr. Court at Emery Gymnasium.
