For a brief moment, Fayetteville State threatened to turn what had been a comfortable Saint Augustine’s lead into a tight game. But the Falcons raised their game another notch and finished strong with a 79-66 victory.

Saturday before a packed house at Emery Gymnasium. The win was the second straight for the Falcons and set up a meeting with Johnson C. Smith in Charlotte that will likely determine the CIAA Western Division championship.

The victory, combined with Johnson C. Smith’s loss to Winston-Salem State Saturday, allowed the Falcons (16-5 overall) to gain control of the division race. The Falcons are atop the division standings at 7-1 overall while Smith is 5-2.

The Falcons are winning with a firepower offense which was on display again Saturday. The Broncos (12-10 overall, 3-5 Western Division) pulled within 52-50 with 12 minutes left after falling behind 41-29 at halftime. But Claude Neeley’s dunk on the Falcons’ next possession ignited a 27-16 run which sealed the game for the home team. During the run, the Falcons stretched the lead to 70-54 with 5:48 remaining on Carl Gervais’ free throw.

Once again, the young gunners including Antonio Fitzgerald, Nicholas King and Claude Neeley led the way. This time it was King, the CIAA’s No. 3 scorer, who led the way with a season-high 30 points to go along with 13 rebounds. Fitzgerald, the CIAA’s top scorer, added 24 points and 5 assists and Neeley, the league’s No. 2 scorer and top rebounder, contributed 13 points and 15 rebounds. Clarence Ferguson led FSU with 15 points.

The Falcons visit Johnson C. Smith Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

The victory was a pleasing sight to Coach Thomas Hargrove Jr. and his staff of assistants including K.L. Hargrove, Byron Williams and Herman Hinton, who all wore tennis shoes with their suits in honor of Coaches vs. Cancer National Awareness Weekend. Fayetteville State coach Sam Hanger and his staff also wore sneakers with their suits.

The coaches wore the tennis shoes to support the fight against cancer. College coaches across the country wore sneakers on the sidelines for National Awareness Weekend.