WILSON, N.C. (January 3, 2018) -- The Virginia State University men's basketball team defeated the Bulldogs of Barton College, 59-54, last night at Wilson Gym.

Richard Granberry led the way for the Trojans in a double-double performance with 12 points on 7-of-13 shots from the floor. Cyonte Melvin also contributed 12 total rebounds and four steals. Trey Brown added nine points to help the Trojans defeat the Bulldogs, while Walter Williams tallied seven points to go along with seven boards to close out the contest.
 
Barton College was led by Isaiah Buck-Lowman who finished with a game-high of 16 points for BC, going 8-of-11 from the free-throw line. Blake Burdack recorded nine points on 3-of-5 shots to go along with eight rebounds and two blocks. Michael Boykin and Jake Kakar each tallied eight points for the Bulldogs, while Jeff Gordon pulled-down a team-high nine boards.

Virginia State (11-1) struggled from the floor in the first-half, shooting 27.8 percent but responded by hitting 41.2 percent of their shots in the second-half as the Trojans avoided being the second ranked team this season to drop a game inside Wilson Gym.

VSU took control of the game early in the opening half against Barton as Granberry guided the Trojans' offense. Virginia State, who entered Tuesday's matchup hitting nearly nine three-pointers per game, struggled from downtown as they went just 1-of-14. The Bulldogs kept things close by earning their way to the charity stripe as BC connected on 71.4 percent (10-of-14) of their chances.

Barton started its comeback with 3:39 left in the half as Burdack converted a pair of opportunities at the free-throw line to trim the VSU lead to 24-20. Buck-Lowman would then put the BC offense on his shoulders, scoring the final six points of the half to cap-off an 8-0 run by the Bulldogs to send them into the half with a 26-24 lead.

The Bulldogs started the second-half by doubling their lead after Gordon hit a pair of shots at the line to make it 28-24. Virginia State's Brandon Holley quickly trimmed the gap to one as his three point shot made it a 28-27 game. Buck-Lowman gave Barton a five-point edge before the Trojans rallied to knot the score 32-32 after another three from Holley.

The Trojans opened-up a three-point lead with 3:33 left as Walter Williams made it 54-51 game. Barton bounced back to tie the game once again as Boykin drained a three point shot to make it 54-54.

BC had several good looks at potentially taking a lead as Buck-Lowman missed an opportunity with 1:27 left followed by a three-point chance with 1:20 left. Granberry would hit the eventual game-winning jumper for the Trojans with 46 seconds remaining to give VSU a 56-54 lead. VSU would end the game on a 5-0 run en route to securing the 59-54 victory.

 
CLOSING OUT WITH THE FREEBIES: After attempting only four free throws in the first half, the Trojans of VSU made it to the charity stripe 11 times in the second period, converting on 63.6 percent (7-11) of those trips.

 
UP NEXT: After their January 2 win, VSU will return home to open their 2018 Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference play as they host Winston-Salem State University on Thursday, January 4. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. at the VSU Multipurpose Center. 

For the most up-to-date information on VSU men's basketball, please visit www.govsutrojans.com and follow Trojans Athletics on Twitter @VSUsports.