SALISBURY, NC- The Virginia State University men's basketball team defeated the Blue Bear of Livingstone College on January 8 with a final score of 82-65. The win improves the Trojans to an overall record of 11-3, 3-1 in the conference.

VSU made the victory a team effort, with 4 Trojans scoring in the double digits. Senior Kevin Williams led the team with 18 points, followed by senior Elijah Moore with 15 points. Sophomore Cyonte Melvin tallied 14 points while junior Richard Granberry rounded out the double digits scoring with 11 points and led the Trojans with 8 rebounds.

The LC Blue Bears were led by David Duncan with 15 points and Joe Lundy with 5 rebounds. The loss set the team back to a 4-9 overall record, 1-3 in the conference.

Several free throw shots by both teams tipped off the first half. Moore quickly broke the fouling cycle with a layup, followed by a shot from behind the arc by Melvin. The Trojans did not waste any time taking control of the game. A tip-in in by junior Ken Woodard with 12:00 left until halftime, gave VSU a 15 point lead, their largest lead of the half. Despite LC attempting to chip away at the scoring margin, VSU made key plays to keep the Blue Bears at a distance. A dunk by Woodard and a 3 pointer by Melvin helped keep the Trojans momentum high. With 0:02 left in the half, Kevin Williams secured a shot from behind the arc to give VSU the 45-31 halftime lead.

Although the Blue Bears opened the second half with a 3 point shot, they would remain scoreless for 4 minutes, giving the Trojans complete control of the game. With 8:00 left on the clock, VSU had a strong 67-47 lead over LC. As the clock ticked down, both teams experienced several missed shots, turnovers and visits to the free throw line. Kicking VSU's game back into high gear with 3:27 left in regulation was sophomore Walter Williams with a dunk, giving the team their largest lead of the night with 26 points. The Blue Bears would fight back for the remainder of the game, but would not have any luck taking the win. VSU came out victorious with a final score of 82-65.

The Trojans dominated the Blue Bears with second chance points (11-8), bench points (30-22), points in the paint (24-22), and fast break points (12-4).

VSU ended the matchup shooting 40.7 percent (28-59) from the field, 31.8 percent (7-22) from behind the arc, and 76 percent (19-25) at the line, while LC ended the game shooting 40 percent (22-55) from the field, 29.4 percent (5-17) from behind the arc, and 64.3 percent (18-28) at the line.

The Trojans will take on the Golden Bulls of Johnson C. Smith University on January 9.  Tip-off is set for 7:30pm in Charlotte, NC.

VSU will continue to work hard to prepare for the 2017 CIAA Basketball Tournament on February 20-25 in Charlotte. NC.

For more information on VSU Trojans men's basketball, follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports, or call 804-524-5030.