Jerrell Jordan

Point Guard Kasey Bryant Had 16 Points, 7 Assists And 5 Rebounds In The Falcons' First-Round Win Over Chowan

Men's Basketball 2/28/2018 2:35:00 AM Office of Sports Information

January, Bryant Lead Balanced SAU Attack In CIAA Tourney Men's Basketball Victory Over Chowan

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (Feb. 28) – Saint Augustine's University was clicking on all cylinders in a CIAA Tournament first-round win over Chowan University on Tuesday night, Feb. 27.

Led by a balanced attack, the Falcons played a complete game in a 75-55 men's basketball victory at Bojangles' Coliseum. The No. 4 Southern Division seed, the Falcons (14-14 overall) square off against Northern Division top seed and nationally-ranked Virginia State University (23-3 overall) in a Wednesday quarterfinal matchup at 6:40 p.m. The loss eliminated the Hawks (11-16) , the No. 5 Northern Division seed, from the tournament.

Offensively, the Falcons were sizzling from the floor. They made 53.8 percent of their shots including 46.7 percent from the three-point line on 7 of 15 shooting behind the arc. Their free throw shooting was impressive as the Falcons connected on 12 of 16 attempts for 75 percent.

On the rare occasions when they missed, a Falcons' player was there to snatch up the rebound. The Falcons corralled 14 offensive rebounds which led to 16 second-chance points. Overall, they owned the boards as they outrebounded the Hawks 43-21.

They were stingy defensively, limiting the Hawks to 36.2 percent shooting. They held an opponent under 60 points for the third time in their last four games.

"We shot the ball well and defended well," Falcons' Head Coach MarQus Johnson said. "I always tell our guys that everything starts with defense."

The Falcons had a brief letdown when the Hawks sliced an 18-point halftime lead to six midway in the second half, but they regrouped quickly to stretch the margin to 73-50 with under two minutes remaining.

Five Falcons scored in double figures led by three-time All-CIAA forward Quincy January (Sr./Atlanta, GA) and standout guard Kasey Bryant (Sr./Raleigh, NC). January, the three-time CIAA Defensive Player of the Year, finished with 12 points and 15 rebounds to win Food Lion MVP honors after the contest. Bryant scored a game-high 16 points, dished out seven assists and collected five rebounds at the point guard position.

All-CIAA guard Tyre Gathright (Jr./Wilmington, NC) scored 13 points and Ishmael Baldwin (Jr./Kinston, NC) added 12 points and seven rebounds. Kenneth Collins (Sr./Clayton, NC) contributed 11 points off the bench.

"We wanted to establish ourselves inside," said Bryant about the Falcons who outscored the Hawks 32-12 in the paint. "We wanted to get the ball to Quincy or dribble drive to the basket. The main keys were having confidence and trusting each other to make the right play."

The Falcons heated up quickly after falling behind 8-3 in the early moments. Seven players scored during a 25-4 run which put the Falcons out front 28-12. Collins buried a deep three-pointer with 13 seconds left on the clock to push the Falcons' lead to 39-21 at halftime. The Falcons shot a blistering 65.4 percent in the first 20 minutes in building a big lead.

Eventually, the Falcons cooled off in the second half which allowed the Hawks to catch up and cut their lead to 53-47. But they shot well enough in the half (42.3 percent) to finish off the Hawks with a 22-8 run.

The Falcons are looking to give a similar all-around performance against Northern Division champion Virginia State on Wednesday. They handed the Trojans one of their three losses in a 73-66 victory in Raleigh, N.C., on Dec. 14, 2017. In their last two meetings, the Falcons are 2-0 against the Trojans, who are currently ranked 15th nationally in the NABC Division II Coaches Poll.