Box Score ETTRICK, Va. (January 27, 2018) – The 8th –ranked Virginia State University Men's Basketball team fell to the Bulldogs of Bowie State University (BSU), 65-55, tonight at the VSU Multipurpose Center.
THE BASICS
FINAL | # 8 Virginia State 55, Bowie State 65
RECORDS | Virginia State 17-2 (7-2), Bowie State 10-11 (5-5)
LOCATION | Ettrick, Va. (VSU Multipurpose Center)
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Richard Granberry and Cyonte Melvin led the way for the Trojans with 11 points each. Trey Brown posted eight points and three rebounds while Waymond Wright chipped in with seven points. Lual Rahama helped the Trojans with six points.
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Trojans closed the first half with a mini 4-2 run to take a 30-27 lead into halftime. Virginia State shot 42.4 percent (14-of-33) in the first 20 minutes compared to 43.5 percent (10-of-23) for visiting Bowie State. The Trojans also held a huge first half advantage on the glass, out-rebounding the Bulldogs 23-9. In fact, Virginia State pulled down 12 offensive rebounds alone in the first half.
Bowie State narrowed the deficit to 37-35 and a Belle triple shifted the advantage over to the Bulldogs at 38-37 at the 15-minute mark of the second half. Following the media timeout, Belle knocked down a pair of free throws and followed that with a layup to make the score 42-37in favor of Bowie State, forcing Virginia State's Trojans to call a timeout.
VSU's Lual Daniel Rahama (Newport News, Va.) stopped the Bowie State run but missed the free throw sending Bowie State into the under 12 media time out with a 44-39 lead.
Bowie State's lead grew to a game-high 10 points (49-39) after a massive two-handed dunk by Hayes. The Bulldogs stifling defense made a major difference in the second of play.
Cyonte Melvin (Hampton, Va.) capped off a 6-0 Virginia State run to trim the Trojans deficit to 51-47 at the 6:37 mark. Melvin knocked down two free throws to cut the Bowie State lead to 51-49 with 3:19 remaining in the highly contested contest.
The Bulldogs had enough in the tank in the end for the 69-55 upset of the nationally ranked Trojans.
UP NEXT
VSU will travel to Raleigh, N.C. to fact the Bears of Shaw University on January 31 at C.C. Spaulding Gymnasium. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.
For the most up-to-date information on VSU men's basketball please visit www.govsutrojans.com and follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.
