Bookmark this page to:                             

The Fayetteville State University family rallied around its Lady Broncos on Wednesday night to celebrate the champions.

The fourth-seeded Broncos claimed their third Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Tournament championship in school history and first since 2001.

FSU defeated No. 2 Bowie State, 66-50, Saturday at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte.

FSU is 20-9.

"This was a really big deal for us," FSU sophomore Sidney Edmundsen said. "I've always watched men's basketball, but I started going to the ladies games when I saw how good they are."

The evening's festivities, held in the Felton J. Capel Arena, featured a pep rally to introduce the Lady Broncos, where the step team and pep band revved up the crowd before the team came running out onto their home court.

Coach Eva Patterson-Heath told the crowd the team didn't want to just stop with the CIAA title but make it all the way through the NCAA Division II Tournament.

"I inherited an exceptional team," Patterson-Heath said. "I taught them the mantra of fight, survive and advance."

Patterson-Heath took over as head coach in June, after coaching high school basketball in Red Springs for nearly 24years.

The victory earned the Lady Broncos an automatic bid for the NCAA Division II Tournament. Pairings are scheduled to be announced Sunday.

Patterson-Heath said the team's first game will be in Pennsylvania against a yet-to-be-named opponent.

But the students, alumni and friends who came out to show their support for the team were just delighted to know the team has made it this far.

FSU Chancellor James Anderson dubbed the team "The Bad Ladies from Bronco Land," and he dared anyone to take them on.

"None of the games were even close!" Anderson said of the team's tournament performance.

Anderson gave each member of the team a collection of photos taken from their games in the CIAA tournament.

L'oreal Price, the team captain, thanked the crowd for the support but said the team didn't want it to end here.

"We're hoping to take it all the way down this road," Price said.

Amber Pleasant, a freshman psychology major, said the Lady Broncos have really got her thinking about trying out for the team one day.

"After I had a class taught by Coach Heath, I just became so supportive and involved with following the team this year," Pleasant said. "We're just all so proud."