FAYETTEVILLE, NC — Kaleb Coleman collected 22 points and Jacob Crutchfield added 20 and the Fayetteville State men’s basketball team took down the Livingstone Blue Bears 80-77 at home Wednesday night at Capel Arena.
The Broncos used some sharp shooting to open up a sizable 20-point halftime lead, but lost the lead by the final minute of regulation.
Coleman connected on all four of his three-pointers in the second half, including the game-winner inside of the final minute to lock down the Broncos third straight win. The victory also keeps the Broncos as the top team in the CIAA South Division.
Coleman and Crutchfield’s stellar scoring performances led the Broncos (11-9, 6-2) in the contest. Crutchfield added three assists. Cress Worthy also helped out with 10 points, four assists and three steals.
The Fayetteville State offense was very productive from downtown, making 10 threes on 22 attempts. Coleman was the most prolific shooter for the Broncos, draining four treys in the contest.
#45 Kaleb Coleman drains a THREE with 39.6 seconds left on the clock to put the Broncos up 3pts! 👿 #BroncoPride🐴💙 #attitudecheck #WeBleedBlue pic.twitter.com/v21kEQ7pCd
— FSU Broncos (@FSUBroncos) January 19, 2023
Fayetteville State forced 18 Livingstone turnovers. The Broncos turned those takeaways into 17 points on the other end of the floor. Worthy’s three steals led the way for Fayetteville State.
After falling behind 13-9, Fayetteville State went on an 11-0 run with 11:11 left in the first half to take a 20-13 lead. The Broncos then added 13 points to that lead by the end of the period and entered halftime with a 47-27 advantage. Fayetteville State capitalized on 13 Livingstone turnovers in the period, turning them into 13 points on the other end of the floor.
Fayetteville State kept its lead intact before going on a 6-0 run, finished off by Sean Tony Hauser’s jumper, to grow the lead to 66-50 with 8:47 to go in the contest. The Blue Bears narrowed the margin somewhat before the game was over, but the Broncos still held on for the 80-77 win. Fayetteville State took care of business in the paint, recording 18 of its 33 points in the lane.
