BOWIE, Md. – The Fayetteville State University women's basketball team defeated Bowie State University 55-52 on Monday (January 11th) inside the A.C. Jordan Arena. FSU improves 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the CIAA, while the Lady Bulldogs fall to 9-6 overall and 2-3 in the conference.

The Lady Broncos grabbed a 9-2 lead by the 6:40 mark of the first quarter. Vernessa Hinnant (Selma, N.C.) hit a three-pointer to provide the early cushion. Bowie State rebounded with a 7-0 scoring run. Sophomore Kyah Proctor (Capitol Heights, Md.) tied the game 9-9 with a three-pointer with 3:49 remaining in the first.

Proctor made another three-pointer before the close of the quarter. The long range field goal gave the Lady Bulldogs a 14-11 advantage heading into the second quarter. BSU kept rolling in the second with a 9-3 run in the first five minutes.

Fayetteville State's Courtney Best (Raleigh, N.C.) converted back to back baskets in the paint to narrow the deficit. Diani Mason (Queens, N.Y.) connected on two free throws with 1:24 left before halftime. Proctor scored again for Bowie State to account for their 25-20 lead at the break.

Fayetteville State committed 16 turnovers in the first half, compared to 11 turnovers from BSU. Bowie State held a 12-8 advantage in the points off turnovers category.

Bowie State maintained their lead throughout the third quarter. FSU managed to draw within one possession just before the start of the fourth. Doreen Richardson (Salisbury, N.C.) scored on consecutive Fayetteville State possessions, including a layup with 48 seconds left in the third. The Lady Broncos trailed 41-38 entering the fourth.

The Lady Broncos eventually knotted up the score in the final quarter. Best made a jumper off an assist from Shamaiya Battle (Fayetteville, N.C.) with 6:25 on the clock. Richardson captured the lead for the Lady Broncos with a 1-of-2 trip at the foul line.

Down the stretch, Fayetteville State capitalized on the Lady Bulldogs shooting miscues. Bowie State missed two three-point field goals with less than a minute remaining. Battle sealed the game with two free throws with six ticks left for a 55-52 lead. Proctor missed a last second three-point attempt to tie the game.

Hinnant and Best finished with 14 points each to lead Fayetteville State and Bria Robinson (Belmont, N.C.) chipped in nine rebounds and seven points.

Proctor had a game-high 17 points for Bowie State. Sophomore Kiara Colston (Burtonsville, Md.) and junior Ashley Jennings (Newark, N.J.) contributed with 15 and 10 points, respectively. FSU held a 13-2 advantage in second chance points and outscored the Bowie State bench 10-0.

The Lady Bulldogs will hit the road for its next two contests with the first stop at Winston-Salem State University on Wednesday (1/13) night followed by a Saturday (1/16) afternoon game and CIAA Northern Division opener at Lincoln University of Pennsylvania.