BOWIE, MD- The Virginia State University men's basketball team went up against the Bowie State University Bulldogs on Wednesday, February 19 at the A.C. Jordan Arena. The Trojans were three points shy of a victory against the Bulldogs with a final score of 72-69.

Junior guard Lamar Kearse (Syracuse, NY) led the Trojans, securing his 14 points in the second half. He also contributed three rebounds and six assists.

Senior guard Allen Harris (Boston, MA) made13 points, one rebound, two assists, one block and one steal. Teammates Kevin Wiggins (Newport News, VA) off the bench scored 10 points and pulled down five rebounds while James Vann (Norfolk, VA) landed his 10 points in the first half with four rebounds and one assist.

In the first half, both teams left no room for error, keeping the scoring gap less than five points the entire time. Virginia State took control of the lead until Bowie jumped ahead at the 7:00 mark, 27-26. Set to take back the lead, Vann lands a three point basket and was fouled, sending him to the line where he sunk the shot. At 1:30 left in the half, the Trojans were up by one, 38-37, until the Bulldogs dunked to gain two and the lead at halftime.

The second half mimicked the first, as both teams battled for the victory. After the Trojans trailed by five with 16:31 on the clock, they bounced back with a four point lead a few minutes later. The tension on the court grew as both teams could not hold a steady lead for long. At 1:42, Virginia State was down by one, 70-69 and had time to come back. A foul by the Trojans, sent Bowie to the line to take the shots and the win. The final score was 72-69.

In the game, Virginia State shot 42.1 –percent from the field, 44.4 –percent from behind the arc and 65.0 –percent from the free throw line.

The Trojans collected 11 second chance points and outscored Bowie off the bench 41-30.

The Virginia State men's basketball team will play their last regular season game on Saturday, February 22 in Daniel Gymnasium against the Lincoln University Lions.  Tip-off is at 5:00 p.m.