Lady Broncos Seeking an Upset Win Over Barton

FSU plays 22nd-ranked Lady Bulldogs for second time this season on Saturday at 2 p.m.

FAYETTEVILLE, NC – In less than a week, the Fayetteville State Lady Broncos will be on the shores of Hawaii as they prepare to play in the Hoop N Surf Basketball Tournament in Honolulu.

Before they get there, though, they will have to again face a ranked nonconference opponent. And they will do it for the second time.

Fayetteville State (0-4) will travel to Wilson for a 2 p.m. tipoff on Saturday to take on the 22nd-ranked Barton Lady Bulldogs (6-2) for the second time this season. Barton had five players score in double figures to down the Lady Broncos 88-59 in Felton J. Capel Arena in Fayetteville on Nov. 20.

Fayetteville State coach Eva Patterson-Heath is hopeful the Lady Broncos can do to Barton what another previously-ranked opponent has done. On Monday, 25th-ranked Frances Marion, Fayetteville State’s season-opening opponent, went into Wilson and came away with a 90-79 victory.

Still, it’ll be a tall order for the Lady Broncos. But Patterson-Heath believes her team is more capable now of pulling that kind of upset.

“We are better today than we were when we played them here last time,” Patterson-Heath says. “I know it’s going to be a challenge, but we have been stressing key points – defense, we’ve got to rebound, we’ve got to make shots and we’ve got to hit our free throws.”

In the previous meeting, Fayetteville State’s Tiffany Haywood (Sr., Fayetteville, NC) led the team with 12 points and a season-high 17 rebounds. LaQuasha Jordan (Jr., Greenville, NC) wadded 11 points while Phantasia Coe (Fr., Charlotte, NC) added eight points while Amanda Sinclair (Jr., Red Springs, NC) chipped in seven points.

Barton's Jamila Johnson led all players with 17 points, eight assists and five steals while Janetta Robinson added 13 points, Shawnta Shelton 11 and Nyesha Willie and Jolanda Mitchell had 10 apiece. Janae Jackson led the Lady Bulldogs with 10 rebounds to go with eight points.