Box Score FAYETTEVILLE, NC- The Chowan University women's basketball team opened CIAA play with a 79-68 overtime victory against Fayetteville State University on Tuesday evening.  The Hawks improve to 6-4 overall and start league play 1-0 while the Lady Broncos drop to 5-5 on the year and 0-1 against CIAA competition.  The victory marked the third straight for Chowan. 

Alisha Mobley led all players in the contest with a season-high 23 points in the victory.  Jordan Payne recorded a double-double performance with 18 points and 10 rebounds (four offensive, six defensive) followed by Dhyamond Crenshaw with 14 points.  Mercedes Tapia chipped in 10 points for the Chowan Blue and White, all of which occurred after halftime. 

Doreen Richardson led the effort for Fayetteville State with 18 points followed by Courtney Best with 14 points.  Bria Robinson and Emerald Smith added 12 points and 10 points, respectively.  Robinson also grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds in the setback (four offensive, eight defensive).

Both teams shot 52% from the floor over the course of the evening. Turnovers plagued both teams with a total of 70 over the course of the contest. The Hawks converted 40 Fayetteville State turnovers into 37 points while the Lady Broncos used 30 Chowan turnovers to score 22 points. 

The Hawks and Lady Broncos battled nearly shot for shot over the course of the first two quarters, with each team scoring 12 points in the first quarter and nine points in the second quarter.  Coming out of the halftime break with the score tied 21-21; a three-pointer by Tapia gave the Hawks a narrow advantage. Chowan extended the lead to as many as 14 points (39-25) by the 5:42 mark after a layup by Jada Lee before closing out the third quarter with a 44-41 advantage.

The Lady Broncos opened the fourth quarter with a 10-4 run to take a 51-48 lead with 5:39 on the clock.  The Hawks responded with a 4-0 run to regain the lead.  Chowan and Fayetteville State exchanged baskets down the final stretch of regulation before the Hawks clawed their way to a 62-58 advantage after a free throw by Shaikeyla Jordan with 33 seconds to play. Down but not out, a layup by Robinson, and free throws by Shamiaya Battle and Smith knotted the score 62-62 at the end of the fourth quarter.

Chowan thwarted the Lady Broncos' comeback efforts with a 12-0 run at the start of the overtime period to pull away 74-62 by the 2:28 mark.  The Hawks maintained the advantage for the remainder of the contest and secured the 79-68 win with a free throw by Lee. 

The Hawks return to action on December 19^th as Chowan takes on Saint Augustine's University. Tip-off for the CIAA crossover contest is slated for 2:00pm.