Charlotte, N.C. (February 28, 2018) – The quarterfinal round of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Men's Basketball Championship Tournament tipped off Wednesday evening as  St. Augustine's University and  the conference's top seed overall Virginia State University squared off in the first of two  Wednesday games at the Bojangles Coliseum.  Both teams grinded it out on the court for the full 40 minutes with neither team leading by more than three possessions with Virginia State coming out on top 49-45.

The Trojans will advance to Friday's semi-final game to face the winner of Thursday's Shaw University (#2 seed in the South) - Virginia Union University (#3 seed in the North) matchup.  The game will be played at 7:00 p.m. in the Spectrum Center.

THE BASICS
FINAL | Virginia State 49, St. Augustine's 45
RECORDS | Virginia State 24-3 , St. Augustine's 14-15
LOCATION | Charlotte, N.C. (Bojangles' Coliseum)
 
INSIDE THE BOXSCORE
Richard Granberry lead the Trojans reaching double figures with 16 points.  Trey Brown added nine points while Walter Williams chipped in eight and a team high six rebounds. Cyonte Melvin also had six rebounds.
 
Tyre Gathright led all scorers with 17 points to pace the Falcons offense.  Quincy January scored 11 points and grabbed a game high ten rebounds while Kenneth Collins added 11 points (all in the second half) to round out the double figure scorers for St. Augustine's.

The Trojans held  a slim 12-7 lead despite not allowing a Falcons field goal until the 8:25 mark when Tyre Gathright  made SAU's first basket to make the score 12-9. The VSU lead oscillated between three and five points over the next six minutes until Waymond Wright's three-point field goal gave the Trojans a 19-13 lead with 2:19 left in the period.  Wright's bucket was the final points scored in the period.   The Falcons finished the first half with just two field goals in 19 attempts (10.5%) while making 9-of-11 (81.8%) from the foul line to keep the game close.  The Trojans shot 32% (8-25) from the field with two three pointers.

Virginia State scored the first three points of the second half, extending their lead to nine points before a Kenneth Collins jumper triggered an 8-2 run by the Falcons, cutting the VSU lead to three 24-21.  William Vedder's traditional three point play and a three-point bucket by Philip Owens pushed the lead back to seven 30-23.  Two straight baskets by Quincy January cut the Trojan lead to three, 30-27 with 8:53 left.   The Trojans doubled their lead to six 39-33 before Tyre Gathright connected on three straight baskets, including a three-point bucket that gave the Falcons their first lead, 40-39 since the opening minute of play.

VSU responded with four straight points to go back up by three 43-40.  January's two free throws with 1:53 left made it a one-point game 43-42 before Granberry drove to the basket for a layup +one to give the Trojans a 46-42 lead.   Gathright answered right back with a three-pointer and was fouled.  Gathright however could not complete the four point play and the Falcons still trailed 46-45 with 1:18 left.  Trey Brown converted three free throws in the final 35 seconds to seal the win for the Trojans 49-45.

St. Augustine's shot 45.8% (11-24) in the second half to finish the game shooting 30.2% (13-43) while Virginia State shot 38.5% (10-26) in the second half and finished the game shooting 35.3% (18-51).  The Falcons made 15-19 free throws (78.9%) while VSU converted just nine of 16 (56.3%).  The Trojans had a 39-32 rebounding edge, including a 14-7 advantage on the offensive glass.

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