CIAA: After swapping coaches, Fayetteville State beats Bluefield for men’s title

After leading the Bluefield State Big Blue to the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association championship game in 2025, 31-year-old head coach Devin Hoehn headed to Fayetteville State, taking several of his players with him.

On Saturday evening they faced his former program, and this time Hoehn and his squad prevailed, beating the Fayetteville State Broncos 71-68 in a thrilling championship. It wasn’t decided until Bluefield State’s game-tying attempt from 3-point range rattled off the rim, setting off the Fayetteville celebration.

Game MVP Terrell Williams led the Broncos with 29 points, Darius Boben added 14 points and seven steals, and Larry Howell, a member of the all-tournament team, chipped in 14 points, including the 3-pointer that ultimately won the game.

Bluefield’s Anthony Latty notched an 18-point, 10-rebound double-double, and Elijah Preddy led the Big Blue with 20 points.

The final featured a clash of nearly opposite styles. The Broncos ranked first in the CIAA in offense but last in scoring defense. Meanwhile, Bluefield State ranked second in scoring defense but 11th in total offense. Ultimately, Bluefield State’s style controlled the game, as the Big Blue limited the Broncos to a season-low point total.

“I wanted to make them play defense … control the tempo of the game,” Bluefield State head coach Luke D’Alessio said. “It was our tempo. It was our style of game. We just didn’t score enough in the second half.”

D’Alessio was seeking his third CIAA tournament title; he’s won with Bowie State and Fayetteville. D’Alessio and Fayetteville State parted ways after the 2025 season.

Early on, Fayetteville State got the fast-paced game it sought, as both teams raced out to a hot start. When Preddy banged home a 3-pointer, the Big Blue took a 13-12 lead before five minutes had elapsed.

From there, two huge runs defined the first half. Bluefield State largely kept its momentum rolling, while offense grinded to a halt for the Broncos. D’Alessio’s squad seized control with a 12-0 run, taking a 28-14 lead.

Baltimore’s Kyree Smith, a City graduate who plays about 16 minutes per game, was at the center of the run with four points and an assist. Preddy notched two steals, and Myles Pierre and Sila Tako each knocked down a triple during the run, which covered 2:55 of game time.

However, the Broncos didn’t take long to bounce back. Howell got to the rim and finished through contact, converting the and-one opportunity. Just over a minute later, Williams did the same thing and the Broncos had a quick six straight points.

Four more from Howell extended the run to 10-0, drawing Fayetteville within four before Bluefield State got back on the board after a drought of nearly five minutes. The Big Blue maintained a slim advantage to the locker room.

Seven players scored for Bluefield in the first half, led by Preddy’s seven points. Williams had 13 first-half points for the Broncos.

Both offenses entered in the fop five in CIAA 3-point shooting, with the two teams making four apiece in the first half. The biggest difference, however, was Bluefield’s dominance in the post.

Bluefield ranked fourth in the CIAA in rebounding margin, four slots higher than Fayetteville, and the Big Blue outrebounded the Broncos 22-4 in the first half, leading to a 15-3 advantage in second-chance points.

In the second half, Fayetteville started with a 5-0 spurt to close the gap to 40-37. Williams scored all five points. However, the Big Blue rebounded with a 10-1 run to push their advantage back to double digits.

Latty and Pierre each poured in four points in the run, with Latty’s thunderous alley-oop dunk on a dish from Warren Mouganda placing an exclamation point on it.

From there, Fayetteville closed the gap with two strong bursts. First, seven straight points made it 50-45. A few minutes later, a 10-0 run turned a 57-50 deficit into a 60-57 lead.

Senior Romeo Aquino closed it to three points with under eight minutes on the clock with a driving layup and nifty underhand finish. Williams and Aquino then drew fouls and drilled their free throws to give the Broncos the lead with 5:48 to play. It was their first lead since the opening five minutes.

“In the second half, I told them … if you keep chipping, by the time it’s close, they’re going to get shaky, because they have not been on this stage before, and I’ve got five guys that have been,” Hoehn said.

The back-and-forth continued as Preddy’s jumper was true, Mouganda finished through a foul for a three-point play and Preddy canned a triple from the top of the key as part of an 8-2 Bluefield run for a 65-62 lead.

From there, it went right back to Fayetteville, and this time it was the game-sealing run. First, Williams went coast to coast after Preddy’s shot for a quick layup. After Fayetteville forced a turnover, Howell, fairly quiet on the night by his standards, made his first 3-pointer of the game.

Shortly after, Boben notched his seventh steal and Howell paid off the defensive effort with a quick layup for the 69-65 lead. After a defensive stop, Fayetteville pushed the advantage to five points, as Aquino made one of two free throws.

Bluefield had more than a desperate last gasp. After the Aquino free throw, Bluefield went right down the court and Pierre drilled a 3-pointer. On the ensuing inbounds pass, the Big Blue forced a tie-up and the possession arrow was in their favor.

Ultimately, the Big Blue had two opportunities to tie the game. First, Preddy was denied a clear lane to the rim and his floater was off the mark. Then, after Howell made one of two free throws, Bluefield had 10.4 seconds for its final possession.

Fayetteville smothered Preddy all the way up the court and denied his outlet options, forcing a deep 3-point attempt. It was nearly good but ultimately clanked the rim, and Fayetteville claimed the victory.

“We told these guys that they can get up in the first half, but they have to do it for 40 minutes,” Hoehn said, noting Bluefield played four games in four days. “I told them that, if we ramp up this pressure, I said, ‘I promise you, their legs are going to go.’ Down the stretch, they were missing shots, and once again we were being resilient.”

This article has been updated.