CHARLOTTE, NC -- The Fayetteville State Broncos actually trailed.
Briefly.
Johnson & Wales may have taken a 2-0 lead 46 seconds into the game, but the next 39:14 belonged to the Broncos, who immediately ripped off a 13-0 run fueled by a fast start by Ariel Robinson (Sr., Coral Springs, FL) on their way to a convincing 126-62 victory over the Wildcats on Wednesday night.
The opening run eventually ballooned to 17-2 stretch, handing Fayetteville State (3-2) a 17-4 lead barely 5 minutes into the game.
Robinson did the heavy lifting early for the Broncos, hitting three 3-pointers to score 10 points as Fayetteville State opened up a 25-6 lead midway through the first half. He finished with a game-high 26 points -- a new career-high -- on 10-of-12 shooting (he was 5 of 6 from long range) to go with five steals. Jarmel Baxter (Jr., Davidson, NC) had 12 points and John Herrington (Jr., Jacksonville, NC) added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds while Tyrell Tate (Fr., Raleigh, NC) had 14 points and Devin Thompson (Fr., Fayetteville, NC) chipped in 11. Andre Best (So., Raleigh, NC) added nine points and seven assists while Jarrick Jones (Jr., Ridgeway, SC) had a game-high eight assists. All 13 Broncos who saw action scored in the game.
Michael Daniel led the Wildcats with 12 points while Rodrick Latimer added 10. No other Johnson & Wales player managed to score in double digits.
Warren Edwards' layup with 7:04 remaining in the half managed to trim the Fayetteville State lead to nine, 36-27, but that was as close as the Wildcats (0-11) would get. The Broncos responded with a 19-4 run over the next 4 minutes to stretch the lead to 24 points. Fayetteville State, which led 63-39 at the half, was never threatened the rest of the way.
The rout continued into the second half, with the Broncos cracking the century mark for the first time this season when Robinson buried a corner 3 -- his fifth of the game -- for a 102-55 Broncos' lead with 7:25 remaining in the game. It was the first time the Broncos scored 100 or more points since a 100-85 victory over Lincoln (PA) on Nov. 21, 2009.
The victory snapped a two-game skid for the Broncos, who had opened the season with two victories in a span of four days in mid-November. Fayetteville State lost twice in competitive contests at the Florida Tech Thanksgiving Classic last weekend, but didn't need much time to bounce back.
The Broncos scored a season-high 63 points in a single half with their each half output, shooting 62 percent from the field while forcing a whopping 22 turnovers in the opening period. FSU finished the game shooting 63 percent from the floor and forced 37 turnovers. It is the first time the Broncos have won on the road since their season-opener last year on Nov. 16, 2009 when they toppled UNC Pembroke 100-92.
Fayetteville State will now travel to Greenville to play Division-1 Conference USA program East Carolina (6-2) on Saturday. Tipoff is 5 p.m. The game will be the fourth in a six-game stretch for the Broncos away from home. Fayetteville State returns to Felton J. Capel Arena on Jan. 6 with a CIAA game against Bowie State.
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