Fayetteville State Broncos fall to CIAA leader Shaw

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina - The Fayetteville State Broncos put every ounce of energy and spirit in Saturday's CIAA showdown with Shaw.  But with the Bears playing like a team even better than their No. 9 ranking in the NCAA Division II national poll, the Broncos just couldn't keep pace and dropped an 86-74 decision at Capel Arena.

Shaw rode a 26-point, 12-rebound performance by junior forward Junius Chaney and made 29 of 40 shots at the foul line in rolling to its 14th consecutive CIAA win. The Bears, 22-2 overall, have games remaining against Winston-Salem State and Saint Augustine's to complete a perfect regular season in league play.

"It's been a goal from day one,'' Shaw coach Cleo Hill Jr. said of achieving CIAA perfection. "This is a very tough league and we thought it would be a tough goal. And to this point, it has been tough. We're two games away from completing a task like that, but we haven't had any easy games, especially on the road.''

Or at home, for that matter. The last time the Bears met the Broncos on Jan. 30 in Raleigh, FSU took them to double overtime before losing, 92-84.

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