|
|
Jan. 21, 2012 FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. - On a day when his teammates couldn't buy a basket, Winston-Salem State's Justin Glover put the Rams on his shoulders. And it was just enough to beat the Fayetteville State Broncos and Sidney Evans, who tried to do the same for his team. Glover scored a game-high 25 points, leading the Rams to their seventh straight win as they remained unbeaten in CIAA play after clipping the Broncos 58-54 on Saturday at a raucous Felton J. Capel Arena in a nationally-televised game. Glover made 9 of 19 shots from the field - the rest of the Rams (14-2, 7-0, 1-0)only made 11 of 36 (31 percent) - and Winston-Salem State managed to hold off a furious Fayetteville State(4-9, 2-4, 0-1) rally in the closing minutes of the CIAA Southern Division opener for both teams. Evans (Sr., Durham, N.C.), who buried a 3-pointer to beat Winston-Salem State in the final seconds in the CIAA Tournament quarterfinals nearly 11 months ago, scored a season-high 23 points on 9-of-15 shooting. The rest of the Broncos weren't much better than Glover's teammates, finishing just 11-for-50 from the field (22 percent). But Evans' 3 with 1:20 left brought Fayetteville State within five, 55-50, and after a Tyre Desmore foul shot, Seth Hawkiins (Jr., Greensboro, N.C.) hit a corner 3 to creep the Broncos within two, 56-54, with 59 seconds to go. Fayetteville State came up with a stop on the Rams' ensuing possession, and with 12 seconds left, Fayetteville State had a chance to go for the tie or the win. Tim Plummer's (Sr., Apex, N.C.) runner was no good, and John Herrington (Sr., Jacksonville, Fla.) corralled the rebound, but in doing so, fell to the floor. He was whistled for traveling with 4.1 seconds left, and Glover made two foul shots for the final margin. Plummer finished with 11 points and 10 rebounds, his second straight double-double and the eighth straight time he has finished in double-digits scoring. Tyrrel Tate (So., Raleigh, N.C.) added eight points.
No other Rams' player had more than seven points. Glover got off to a hot start, even if the Rams didn't. Glover had 12 first-half points, hitting 4 of 9 shots from the field. The rest of his team, however, managed to connect on just 7 of 24 attempts. But it was enough for Winston-Salem State to take a lead at the break. The Rams closed the opening period on an 8-1 run, overcoming a quick start for the Broncos that included nine points from Evans and six from Plummer, who brought the capacity crowd at Capel Arena to their feet with a high-flying alley-oop just 2 minutes into the game. Winston-Salem State used a 14-3 run spanning halftime to build a 33-26 lead with 16:20 remaining and 2 minutes later, led by nine, 39-30. But the Broncos answered with a 7-0 spurt in the next 2:37 to close within two. Then Glover hurt them again, as no other player would. With the shot clock winding down, Glover buried his third 3, putting the Rams ahead 50-42 with 4:38 left. A Stephon Platt foul shot capped the 9-2 run, and Winston-Salem State appeared in control, 51-42, with 4:17 to go. Former Fayetteville State star football player Richard Medlin, who recently signed a three-year contract with the Miami Dolphins after spending the season on the practice squad - he was activated and saw action in the Dolphins' final game of the season against the New York Jets - returned to campus to take in the game as one of nearly 5,000 spectators. |
