FSU Broncos Escape with Opening CIAA Victory over Chowan

FAYETTEVILLE, North Carolina  --  The Chowan University men's basketball team fell short in a 65-62 contest against the Fayetteville State University Broncos on Thursday evening.  The Hawks slip to 3-5 overall and 0-1 in CIAA competition while the Broncos improve to 8-3 overall and 1-0 in the league.

Tiron Brown led all players in the game with 16 points in the loss.  Kyree Bethel and Ashante Ross each added 13 points for the Hawks with Ross grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds (three offensive, eight defensive) to earn a double-double.

For Fayetteville State, Tyrrel Tate led the effort with 10 points and nine rebounds (two offensive, seven defensive).  Juwan Addison added nine points in the win.

The Broncos scored first to open the first half and grabbed a 2-0 lead before a 5-0 run put Chowan ahead 5-2 with 16:19 left to play.  A tip-in and jumper for Fayetteville State at the 14:53 mark put the Broncos ahead 6-5; a lead they would maintain for the remainder of the half.  With 5:55 on the clock, a three pointer by Brown brought the Hawks within three (16-13), but Fayetteville State used lay-up by Addison to head into halftime with a 30-21 advantage.

Chowan outscored the Broncos 41-35 in the second half despite trailing by 10 points (55-45) with just under six minutes left in the game.  A jumper by Bethel with 39 seconds left capped a 17-8 run for the Hawks and put Chowan within striking distance (63-62).  Missed opportunities proved to be costly for Chowan as a missed lay-up followed by two missed free throws and a Hawk foul put the momentum back in the Broncos grasp.  Torian Showers drained both free throws to clinch the 65-62 victory for Fayetteville State.

The Hawks travel to Shaw University on Saturday to take on the Bears.  The CIAA crossover contest is slated for a 4:00pm tip-off.

Box Score    

COURTESY CHOWAN UNIVERSITY HAWKS SPORTS INFORMATION