BOWIE, Md. (January 30, 2019) -- Despite a push from the Bulldogs in the second half, No. 24 Virginia Sate pulled away in the second half for a 84-67 victory tonight at the A.C. Jordan Arena.
 
The victory marked the 14th consecutive win for the Trojans (18-3, 10-0 CIAA, 4-0 Northern Division).The offense was firing on all cylinders tonight, connecting on 50 percent (25-of-50) of its shots from the field. 

The duo of Jahmere Howze and Cedric Wiggins posted a dominant performance, finishing with 22 and 14 points, respectively. Howze added four rebounds, while Wiggins finished with two rebounds and two assists. Cyonte Melvin rounded out the double digits scoring for the Trojans contributing 12 points, five rebound, four assists and two steals.
 
David Belle led the way for Bowie State, finishing with 18 points and five rebounds.
 
Virginia State went to the paint early and often in the first half, scoring 12 of its 42 points there. The Trojans had the hot hand shooting, knocking down 54.2 percent (13-of-24) of their shots over the opening 20 minutes. During one stretch, VSU hit five out of nine shots from the three point line to help take a 42-32 lead into halftime over the Bulldogs.
 
The storyline in the first period was the prefect shooting by Cedric Wiggins. Wiggins was 3-of-3 from the field, 3-of-3 from the free throw line and 4-of-4 from the free throw line and posted 13 points.
 
The two teams swapped buckets early in the second half, with the Trojans keeping a small lead. However, Bowie State started to gain some momentum cutting the Trojans lead (42-40) on a dunk by David Belle. The Bulldogs continued to fight tying the game 45 all at the 14:55 mark. The Trojans continued to put up points taking a 54-49 lead with 10:09 left in the contest.
 
Virginia State continued to add points to the board growing its lead to take a 84-67 victory.
 
KEY STATS
- VSU shot 50 percent from the field; Bowie State shot 40.7 percent
- Virginia hit eight triples (47.1 percent); Bowie State knocked down four threes on 15.8 percent shooting
- The Trojans were 26-for-33 at the free throw line while the Bulldogs were 16-for-23
- BSU held a 36-31 rebounding advantage; the Bulldogs had 17 turnovers to VSU's 16  
 
Up next, Virginia State will return home as they host the Lions of Lincoln University on Saturday, February 2nd. That game will tip at 4 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.