After surrendering a late second-half rally by Fairmont State, the Fayetteville State Broncos won 75-67 in overtime in the first round of the Division II Tournament.
The Broncos will join their CIAA counterpart Virginia State, in the second round of the Division II tournament after the reigning conference champions beat West Chester in the first round.
As a result, this marks the first time two HBCUs have advanced to the second round of the Division II tournament since 2018.
Isaiah Ray came off the bench to lead the Broncos with 23 points on 82% shooting from the field, 11 rebounds, and two steals.
Tairell Fletcher scored 18 points, while Caleb Simmons accounted for 14 and 11 rebounds.
𝙒𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚.
The Broncos win the quarterfinal round of the NCAA D2 Atlantic Region Tournament in OVERTIME!
#fsubroncos | #broncopride pic.twitter.com/76GkhQK0vV
— Fayetteville State Men’s Basketball (@Fsubroncos_mbb) March 16, 2025
After enduring a slow start, in which they missed their first 11 shots from the field, the Broncos got a massive boost from Fletcher that helped them build a 13-point advantage at the end of the half.
He scored 15 points during the team’s 29-9 run, outscoring Fairmont State by himself as the team took its largest lead of 15 points.
Free throw woes and struggles shooting from the field by Fairmont State allowed the Broncos to continue to build on their lead in the second half. This reached a climax with 14:18 remaining when they led 45-28.
However, Fairmont State began to get hot from three-point range, hitting four of their subsequent five attempts as part of a 20-5 run that trimmed the Broncos’ lead to two points.
Fairmont State continued to pressure the Broncos, eventually leading to them retaking the lead on a four-point play by Rudy Fitzgibbons III.
After missing their shot attempts, Fayetteville State tied the game by forcing a turnover, which led to a layup on the other end by Myles Pierre.
They then got another defensive stop, thwarting two Fairmont State shots in the paint to end regulation in a 56-56 tie.
In overtime, both teams overcame tired legs, trading the lead back and forth and hitting big shots from the field.
In the end, Fairmont State’s woes at the free-throw line bit them in the final minutes, as they missed a free throw that could have given them a three-point lead.
Fayetteville State responded by hitting two free throws to tie the game again, and then Ray’s go-ahead jumper allowed them to take and keep the lead.
The Broncos will advance to the second round and face the number-one seed, West Liberty, on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET.
