Fayetteville State women's basketball's historic season rolls into NCAA Tournament
The Fayetteville State women's basketball team is having a moment.
Behind CIAA Player of the Year Aniylah Bryant, CIAA Defensive Player of the Year Morgan Graham and CIAA Coach of the Year Tyreece Brown, this year's Bronco squad wrapped the regular season with a second straight CIAA Southern Division championship trophy, won the program's fifth CIAA Tournament championship and second in the last four years, and their 27-2 overall record marks the most successful season and highest win total in FSU women's basketball history.
And it's not finished.
Fayetteville State (27-2) is the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Division II Tournament's Atlantic Region, and the Broncos face No. 6-seeded Indiana University of Pennsylvania (21-7) on Fairmont State's West Virginia campus Friday at 7:30 p.m.
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It's the Broncos' ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2010 when CIAA championship game MVP L'Oreal Price Gamble led FSU to its third league title.
"It’s bigger than the CIAA now," Gamble said to the 2023-24 Broncos on Tuesday at Capel Arena, a day before they'd leave on the 425-mile trip northwest. She spoke from her experience, a bridge from the program's last step onto the national stage to the one it's about to take.
"They have so many people cheering for them; the whole CIAA is rooting for them," Gamble said of FSU. "Although we have the rivalries within the conference, now it’s like one big family cheering for a cousin.
"They can do it. With the record that they have and the talent they have, top to bottom, they can win it. They've just got to stay focused, play hard and stay together."
Fayetteville State women's basketball in NCAA Tournament
What: NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament Atlantic Region quarterfinal
Who: No. 3 Fayetteville State (27-2) vs. No. 6 Indiana (Pa.) (21-7)
Where: Fairmont State University's Joe Retton Arena in Fairmont, W.Va.
When: Friday, 7:30 p.m.
Watch: Games will be available on ncaa.com for $9.95 per game; National semifinals and finals air on CBS Sports Network
Fayetteville State's No. 3 seed ties its highest ever, dating back to the Broncos' first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1997. That team was one of just two in program history to win an NCAA Tournament game, along with the 2003 squad.
The 2023-24 edition of FSU basketball has a very special blend of IQ, talent, speed, control and passion. If that sounds intimidating, you should see it in action. The Broncos have dismantled opponents routinely this season, posting the CIAA's best defense (58.2 ppg), second-ranked offense (66.7 ppg), and largest average margin of victory (8.4 ppg).
"It feels unreal," Amina Miles, FSU's 6-foot-2 sophomore forward, said. "Being able to win with this group of girls ... I was just telling my mom the other day that this team is not like any team that I’ve played with before. They have so much love for the game."
Brown, too, in his first year as head coach with an interim title after serving nine years on the Broncos staff and playing point guard on FSU's 2005 CIAA Tournament runner-up, notes the love for the game he sees across women's basketball.
"They're playing the right way," Brown said. "It’s fun to watch. It’s beautiful basketball. Everybody’s playing together, more passion. ... It looks more authentic. ... It’s more competitive, it’s more entertaining.
"They’re playing for themselves, playing for their schools and playing for what they represent. They play for the team and they love each other."
It's intense. The Broncos go hard in practice, even at this point in the season. There's no question about motivation or any sense of satisfaction after bagging the CIAA crown. They still play like underdogs with something to prove ... to themselves.
Brown says he's been asked many times about the secret to FSU's success. His answer comes easily: "We’ve got competitive kids. They hate to lose. ... Even if it’s a scrimmage they won’t even remember tomorrow."
Graham, the Broncos' 6-foot junior CIAA-leading shot-blocker (3.5 bpg), feeds off the squad's big energy.
"I think we’re pretty focused," she said. "Everybody’s intense. Everybody wants to play. Everybody has the same common goal."
The focus is next level. They've already made history. They've already put together what's arguably the best season in program history. But these Broncos are relentless.
"I’ve always been laid back but on the court, that’s home for me, that’s where I let everything out — all my emotions, get everything out," Bryant said. "When I get up here, it’s like a different reality."
Her voice is even, polite, calm. Her game is hasty, aggressive, rude.
Bryant leads the country with 4.21 steals per game, and her 17.3 points per game are a team high, ranking second among CIAA players. She posted a perfect 11-for-11 shooting game with five 3-pointers and 31 points in FSU's CIAA semifinal win over Virginia State during the Broncos' current 13-game winning streak. She's hit buzzer-beaters, broken records, won titles, collected awards and given some of herself to the game every day for a long time. Going beyond the league championship and into the NCAA Tournament is new.
"It’s a different feeling because I’ve never been dancing in the March Madness tournament before but I feel confident in our team," Bryant said. " ... a lot of people are rooting for us and I want to make them proud."
'We're not going to change'
FSU shares the Atlantic bracket with seven other teams in one of eight regions that comprise the 64-team NCAA field. The Broncos' opening-round opponent IUP earned one of 41 at-large bids. The Crimson Hawks won NCAA regional championships in 2018 and '19 and they're one of five teams from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC), including Atlantic Region top seed Gannon (32-2), coming off its third PSAC Tournament title in the last four seasons.
The Broncos' fast-paced, high-energy style of play isn't likely to be common in the NCAA Tournament, where a slow-it-down, grind-it-out gameplan has created many champions.
"... But we’re not going to change up what we’re doing," Miles said. "As long as we keep playing the same way that we’ve played the entire season, then we should be fine."
That's by design. The Broncos were playing NCAA teams before Christmas, already moving ahead with Brown's long-term goal.
"We’ve been preparing for the NCAAs since Day 1," he said, pointing out matchups against tournament teams Augusta and UNC Pembroke — both of whom the Broncos defeated.
The winner of Friday's Atlantic Regional quarterfinal between FSU and IUP will face the No. 2 Fairmont State (26-5) vs. No. 7 West Chester (24-6) winner on Saturday at 7 p.m.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: NCAA D2 women's basketball tournament fayetteville state
