Box Score

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – Behind Talaya Lynch's career high 31 points, the Chowan University Hawks picked up their first CIAA win of the season, 66-54 over host Fayetteville State University on Saturday.
 
Lynch shot 11-19 from the floor, and 7-8 from the free throw line, to propel Chowan (6-6, 1-1 CIAA) to victory.  She also grabbed 10 rebounds to record her second double-double of the season.
 
“Talaya really took a step forward in a leadership role today,” said Head Coach Patrick Mashuda.  “She is a special player.  When she plays for 40 minutes, she is one of the best players in this league in my mind.  She just does so many little things for us and when she plays that well she is hard to guard.”
 
Despite shooting 20 fewer times than FSU did, Chowan made more field goals (23) than FSU (21).  The Hawks shot 50% from the floor, while holding the Lady Broncos to just 31.8% shooting.  FSU (6-5, 0-2 CIAA) did not make a three-pointer, while Chowan drained four.
 
“Winning on the road is always a special thing,” said Mashuda.  “I am proud of our team for bouncing back after a tough loss on Wednesday at Johnson C. Smith.  We played 40 minutes of basketball tonight.”
 
After Chowan held a narrow 9-7 lead with 13:45 remaining, Lynch began to take over, scoring the Hawks' next eight points, propelling them to a 17-11 advantage.  Back-to-back jumpers by fellow Pre-Season All-CIAA pick Jennings gave Chowan a 23-13 lead with 7:19 to play.
 
Not only was the Hawks' offense rolling, but their defense also stepped up.  Fayetteville State made just two of their next eight shot attempts, as Chowan opened their largest lead of the half, a 37-17 advantage with 1:56 on the clock.
 
The Lady Broncos did not wither, though, scoring the final eight points of the half to close the halftime deficit to 12 (37-25).
 
Chowan's offense remained hot to open the second half.  A T'Arra Cutting layup at the 16:39 mark gave the Hawks a 46-27 advantage.  Then, Fayetteville State looked like a completely different team.
 
An and-one by FSU's DaQuondra Cuthbertson sparked a 13-1 run to get back within seven at 47-40.  During that stretch, Chowan shot just 0-1 from the floor and committed seven turnovers.
 
Two Jennings free throws halted the run and put Chowan up 49-40 with 11:13 to play.  FSU then once again put together a scoring run to come within four at 51-47.
 
But every time the Lady Broncos came close to tying the game, Chowan came up with a defensive stop or key basket.  Lynch drained two free throws and Jennings made a jumper to put Chowan back up by eight with 7:22 to play.
 
“We just had an opportunity to make plays,” added Mashuda.  “We got a tip-in here, a charge there, and we forced some key turnovers.  It was all the little things that we try to do every game; those things just happened for us late in the half.”
 
FSU cut the lead to five (59-54) at the 3:35 mark following a Tierra Coleman steal and layup.  The Lady Broncos then went cold from the floor, missing their final seven shots of the game.  Chowan connected on three free throws in the final 1:01 to secure the win.
 
Summer Curtis grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds and blocked five shots.  She entered the game as the CIAA leader in blocks per game.  Janelle Murphy and Naima Harrington each added six points for Chowan.
 
Cuthbertson led FSU with 12 points.  Je'Lena Robertson tallied 11 points, while Makeea Suggs grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
 
Chowan returns to action on Thursday, January 12^th, when they host Winston-Salem State University at 5:30pm.