Fayetteville, N.C.----Fayetteville State got 26 points from
Josh Bryant Saturday afternoon, prevailing 65-55 over visiting Wingate University in NCAA Division II men's basketball action. The Broncos improve to 1-2 overall, while the Bulldogs fall to 2-2 on the year.
Bryant went 10-of-14 from the field, adding seven rebounds for the Broncos.
Willie Gilmore contributed 15 points, six assists and three rebounds, while
William Tibbs had eight points and six boars.
Senior guard
Zeriq Lolar (Orlando, Fla.) led the Bulldogs with 17 points, hitting six-of-13 shots from the field while knocking down four shots from beyond the arc. Junior guard
Marco Haskins (Fredericksburg, Va.) added 14 points and four boards, while grad student point guard
Kerigan Farley (Hickory, N.C.) contributed eight points, five assists and four rebounds.
A
Josh Smith triple gave the Broncos a 15-4 lead four minutes into the opening half, but dunks from
Neico Robinson (Easley, S.C.) and
Quantra Taylor (Indian Land, S.C.) got the 'Dogs within five at the midway point of the half. A
Denzell Hosch three-point play gave FSU a 21-10 advantage, while a Bryant three-point play pushed the lead to 14 at the 6:22 mark. The Bulldogs closed the half on a 16-8 run, with buckets from Farley and Haskins getting Wingate within six at 32-26 heading to halftime.
A Bryant three pushed the lead back to 11 early in the second half, but a Lolar three and Farley layup made it 43-37 with 12 minutes to go. A Gilmore triple pushed the advantage back to 13 for the Broncos at 51-38, but a Lolar triple, followed by jumpers from Lolar and Farley made it a five-point game with 4:03 remaining. A Bryant layup with 90 seconds to go made it 60-53. The Broncos would allow Wingate to get no closer than six the rest of the way.
Fayetteville State shot 48 percent from the field, hitting six-of-13 shots from three-point range (46 percent). Wingate shot 40 percent from the field, hitting seven-of-22 shots from beyond the arc (32 percent). Each team collected 30 rebounds on the day.
Wingate is back in action Tuesday, traveling to Lander for a 7:30 p.m. start.
