RALEIGH, NC (Jan 4) – Saint Augustine's University will begin a three-game, five-day CIAA homestand on Thursday, Jan. 5 against Bowie State University at Emery Gymnasium. Tip-off is 7:30 p.m.
The contest is the CIAA home opener for the Falcons (2-1 CIAA, 8-6 overall), who have won six of their last eight outings including a 75-61 home victory over William Peace University on Monday, January 2. The Falcons resume conference play atop the Southern Division standings.
After facing Bowie State, the Falcons will host Lincoln (Pa.) University on Saturday, Jan. 7 at 4 p.m. and Virginia Union University on Monday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m. Click HERE for live stats of each game or go to saintaugfalcons.com, the University's athletic website.
The Falcons have relied on defense during their recent success. They rank second in the CIAA in points allowed (67.7).
On Thursday, the Falcons held William Peace to 27.3 percent shooting in the win. Peace averaged nearly 84 points entering the contest between the neighboring schools.
This week, the Falcons will attempt to slow down two high-scoring teams in Bowie State (3-0 CIAA, 6-7 overall) and Virginia Union. Bowie State is fourth in the conference in points per game (76.8) and Virginia Union (1-0 CIAA, 9-4 overall) is second (78.2). Lincoln (1-2 CIAA, 2-10 overall) averages 68.1 points per contest.
The Falcons average 70 points per game with standout forward Quincy January (Jr./Atlanta, GA) and stellar guards Anthony Gaskins (Sr./Greenville, NC) and Kenneth Collins (Jr./Clayton, NC) scoring the bulk of the points. January ranks second (16.8) in points per game and is tied for first in rebounds per game (9.6) in the CIAA. Gaskins (16.4) is tied for third in points per game and leads the league in three-pointers made (33). Collins is third on the team in points per game (12.2) and is tied for second in the CIAA in three-pointers made (30).
Guard Ray Anderson of Virginia Union leads the CIAA in points per game (19.3) and guard Ahmaad Wilson of Bowie State ranks fifth (15.8). Guard Joshua Davis is Lincoln's top scorer with a 12.7 average.
Both the Falcons and Bowie State reach the free throw line frequently. January ranks third nationally in Division II in free throw attempts (118) and 13th in free throws made (74). As a team, Bowie State ranks seventh in free throw attempts (373) and 10th in free throws made (262) in Division II. The Bulldogs, winners of their last two games, also rank fifth nationally in blocked shots per game (5.8) and the Falcons rank 18th in three-point field goal defense (29.6 percent).
