Saint Augustine’s College was ready for its anticipated matchup with Johnson C.Smith.

The Falcons soared to a 10-point halftime lead then maintained control in the second half for a surprising easy 92-78 CIAA Western Division victory over the Golden Bulls Tuesday. The Falcons (12-3 overall, 6-2 CIAA, 3-1 Western Division) extended its winning streak to six games while ending the Golden Bulls’ victory steak at six. More importantly, the Falcons made a statement that they are serious Western Division and CIAA contenders.

The Golden Bulls (13-4, 5-1, 2-1) entered the contest ranked 14th in the NABC Division II poll and was undefeated in CIAA competition including a victory over Virginia Union, the defending CIAA and NCAA Division II champion.

But they were no match for the Falcons, who shot 53 percent from the floor including 11 of 18 three-point shots. Four Falcons scored in double figures led by junior forward Nicholas King’s 20 points. Junior guard Antonio Fitzgerald, the CIAA scoring leader, added 18 points and junior forward Claude “Chip” Neeley, the CIAA rebounding leader, and junior guard Barry Jones both scored 16 points. Jones, coming off a season high 17 points against Shaw Jan. 21, scored in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season.

His emergence as a scoring threat makes it much harder to defend the Falcons, who boost the top three leading scorers (Neeley -2nd, King-3rd) in the CIAA. The Falcons scored 90 points or more for the eighth time in 15 games.

The Falcons displayed excellent ball-movement as they had 23 assists on 31 field goals. Fitzgerald, a combo guard, led the Falcons with 8 assists and Jones added 5 while Neeley had 4. Their balanced scoring offset 30 points from Smith’s Charles Clark, who made 9 of 13 field goals and 12 of 13 free throws. Overall, the Golden Bulls shot 44 percent but the Falcons’ defense forced them to shoot 1 of 13 from three-point range.

The Falcons’ largest lead was 66-43 with 13:35 in the second half on a Jones’ jumper. The Golden Bulls whittled the deficit to 87-78 with 1:35 remaining but that was as close as they would get.

With the win, the Falcons moved into second place in the Western Division behind Winston-Salem State (2-0). They will try to extend their winning streak against Livingstone Thursday (Jan. 26) at Emery Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m. It will be the third straight home game and fifth in six games for the Falcons.