Dec. 14, 2008
Final Stats
Washington, D.C. - The Lady Broncos fall short (71-69) of earning a road victory in overtime against the University of the District of Columbia Sunday afternoon inside the Physical Activities Center. A two-game skid drops FSU to 3-4 in the standings, while UDC improves to 8-2 overall.
The first half displayed that these two teams matched up well. Aside from the four ties and three lead changes, both shot over 45 percent from the field. FSU trailed 34-30 at halftime. Center Lillian McGill set the pace with 10 points, six rebounds, and two assists for the Firebird Women in the initial frame.
Fayetteville State attacked the basket to score 16 points in the paint and force UDC to commit 11 personal fouls. The Lady Broncos converted on nine of their 14 free throws attempted (64.3%) and were 10-of-22 (45.5%) from the floor. Junior guard Chelsea Jeter was the first half leading scorer with eight points.
In the closing seconds of regulation, guard Jessica Edwards dribbled inside for a lay-up that put the Firebird Women up 62-60 with 21 seconds remaining. Junior guard Danielle Russell drove the length of the court into a circle of UDC defenders for the game-tying basket. Freshman center Deja Middleton stole the inbounds pass to the send the contest into overtime.
Halfway into the extra period, junior guard Erica Gilley broke the game's eighth tie with two free throws. Gilley's free throws put the Lady Broncos up 67-65 with 2:08 left to play. UDC would retake the lead with a put-back by McGill with 1:29 left to play. FSU failed to score on the offensive end and guard LaQuanda Brandon hit a jumper to give the Firebird Women a 70-67 advantage with less than a minute remaining.
Middleton connected on a 15-foot turnaround jumper to draw the Lady Broncos within one, 70-69. FSU was unsuccessful with their other offensive attempts and a free throw by McGill accounted for the final score.
Three Firebird Women finished with double-digit point totals. McGill produced a game-high 21 points and 18 rebounds. Stacy Griffith had 11 points and eight boards, while Tamara Watkins concluded with 10 points for UDC.
Russell scored a season-high 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting with three steals. Jeter had 13 points and three rebounds. Gilley, who was 9-of-11 from the free throw line, chipped in with 11 points, five boards, and three steals. Despite the loss, FSU had 16 steals and forced UDC to commit 31 turnovers.
Fayetteville State heads to Nassau, Bahamas to participate in the Bahamas Sunshine Shootout December 17th-21st.
