In a contest that went back and forth between division foes, Johnson C. Smith punched its ticket to the CIAA semis with an upset win over No. 1 seed Fayetteville State on Wednesday.

The Golden Bulls took a 16-10 lead after the first quarter but the Broncos fought back, outscoring JCSU 19-14. Johnson C. Smith would hold a slight 30-29 edge at intermission. The Golden Bulls held on to its one-point lead after the third frame despite both teams scoring 15 points apiece.

UPSET ALERT‼️🚨🏀@jcsusports defeats #1 seed @fsu_broncos #CIAATourney pic.twitter.com/1j2EG8bRfE

— CIAA (@CIAAForLife) February 22, 2023

FSU stole the lead in the fourth and grew its command to seven points but JCSU never wavered.

The Golden Bulls eventually tied the contest at 52-all capped by a 3-pointer from Shaniya Jones. From there, Johnson C. Smith mustered a 10-2 scoring run in the final three minutes to come away with the upset.

Jones finished with a game-high 27 points, followed by La’Zarea Bowens’ double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds. Tori Reid grabbed a game-high 13 rebounds for JCSU’s stat leaders. Fayetteville State was led by Imani Elliott, with 13 points.

Courtesy: Johnson C. Smith