| Virginia State (4-6) vs. Shaw (5-5) |
| Date |
January 19, 2022 |
| Time |
7:30 p.m. |
| Live Stream |
Live Stream |
| Location |
Ettrick, VA (VSU Multipurpose center) |
| Social Media |
@VSUsports | @vsutrojans_1882 |
The VSU men's basketball team prepares to bounce back after allowing Virginia Union to pull away, 88-70, Saturday afternoon. Coach Lonnie Blow's squad is currently battling the injury bug as seven of 16 players have been ruled out due to injury. The Trojans will unfortunately be without their leading scorer
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald after he suffered a lower body injury against VUU.
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield will step up and become the team's primary scorer as he averages 24 points and eight rebounds through the past three games.
Last Time Out
- Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald notched his seventh 20-point game this season as he scored 23 points on 5-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc with four rebounds.
- Michael Melvin tied his season-high in assists with nine along with eight points.
- Marquis Freeman earned his first career double-digit game as a Trojan with 11 points knocking down 3-of-4 of his shots from three-point range.
- The Trojans were able to force 17 turnovers, which turned into 20 points.
- VSU was able to outrebound the Panthers on the offensive glass 15-1.
Scouting the Bears
The Bears are coming off a, 75-65, victory against Elizabeth City State, which gave them their first conference win of the year. Shaw has had six games canceled or postponed since December while only playing in four since then. The squad is 5-5 after starting the season 4-2. Offensively, the Bears are an extremely efficient team shooting 45% from the field and nearly 30% from three-point range. On the flip side, Shaw leaves points on the court shooting just 60% from the foul line and average 16 turnovers per game. Defensively, the Bears struggle to keep the opponents' shots from hitting the bottom of the net as the squad gives up 73 points per game while shooting 45% from the field. The Bears also foul opponents 16 times per game. Rayshawn Neal leads the CIAA in assists per game with 4.1 while averaging nine points per game on nearly 50% shooting from the field. Caleb Simmons leads the team with 12 points per contest while shooting 80% from the charity stripe.
Series History
The Trojans are currently losing the series 6-8 but have won the last four matchups between the two. The last matchup saw VSU crush the Bears, 98-61, as the Trojans had five players finish in double figures while holding Shaw to a 32% shot percentage.
A Win Would…
- Push the Trojans home record above .500 at 4-3
- Even their home record against Shaw at 4-4
- Extend the series win-streak to five games
- Even their January record to 2-2
