Fayetteville State Outlasts Bowie State, Advances to CIAA Women’s Championship

BALTIMORE, MD — February 27, 2026

Fayetteville State is headed back to championship Saturday — and they earned every second of it.

In a physical, defense-first battle inside CFG Bank Arena, the Broncos (21–4) outlasted Northern Division contender Bowie State (19–8) in a gritty 49–46 CIAA Women’s Basketball semifinal victory Friday evening, punching their ticket to the conference title game.

Leading the charge was Food Lion Player of the Game Nyah Wilkins, whose dominant two-way performance powered Fayetteville State through one of the toughest matchups of the tournament.

Defense Set the Tone Early

From the opening whistle, both teams made it clear this would not be a high-scoring affair.

Wilkins struck first, establishing her presence inside while anchoring a Broncos defense that forced early turnovers and disrupted Bowie State’s rhythm. Fayetteville State leaned into its physical identity, grinding possessions down and controlling the boards.

After one quarter, FSU held a slim 11–10 edge before extending the lead to 26–24 at halftime behind the steady play of guard Talia Trotter.

Trotter controlled tempo throughout the first half, finishing with 10 points, five assists, six rebounds, and five steals in a complete floor-leader performance. Bench contributions from Nevaeh Colon and Taleah Stephens added crucial scoring bursts that helped the Broncos maintain momentum.

Bowie State’s Third-Quarter Surge

The Bulldogs refused to fade.

Bowie State erupted in the third quarter, scoring 19 points behind strong play from Malaka Cobb and Mayah Garner. Transition buckets and timely three-point shooting flipped the game’s energy, giving Bowie State a 43–38 lead — its largest advantage of the night.

Inside the arena, momentum had fully shifted.

But Fayetteville State never panicked.

Broncos Close Like Champions

The fourth quarter belonged to Fayetteville State’s composure.

Colon sparked the comeback early with a deep three-pointer to cut the deficit to two. Moments later, Alivia Evans knocked down a clutch triple from the wing, swinging momentum back toward the Broncos.

Then came the play that changed everything.

With just under three minutes remaining, Trotter jumped a passing lane at midcourt and raced in for a fast-break layup, giving FSU its first lead since early in the third quarter.

Wilkins followed with a powerful finish through contact to extend the advantage and ignite the Broncos bench.

From there, Fayetteville State’s defense sealed the game.

The Broncos held Bowie State without a field goal over the final four minutes, contesting every possession and controlling the glass down the stretch. Trotter added a key free throw with eight seconds remaining to push the lead to three.

Bowie State’s final attempt — a deep buzzer-beating three — bounced off the rim as Fayetteville State celebrated its return to the CIAA Championship.

By the Numbers

• Nyah Wilkins: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, 2 assists

• Talia Trotter: 10 points, 5 assists, 6 rebounds, 5 steals

• Nevaeh Colon: Key fourth-quarter three

• Alivia Evans: Go-ahead three-pointer

Fayetteville State now advances to face Winston-Salem State in Saturday’s CIAA Women’s Basketball Championship Game at 1:00 PM — a rivalry matchup with added stakes after the teams split their regular-season meetings.

Baltimore now sets the stage for a final chapter with a championship on the line.