ETTRICK, VA – Virginia State men's basketball team dropped their second game in a row to Shaw in heartbreaking fashion late Wednesday evening, 63-60. The Trojans had just two veterans and five freshman on the court as they allowed the Bears to sneak out of the Multipurpose center with a win. The loss drops the Trojans conference record down to 2-5 on the season.
For the third time this season,
Michael Melvin earned nine dimes on the evening, as he was noticeably more aggressive in the game as he set new personal-bests in: shot attempts (16), made three-pointers (4), three-point attempts (7) and rebounds (7).
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield finished with 13 points and five rebounds while going 4-of-4 from the foul line. For the first time in his college career,
Kylon Lewis scored double-digits as the freshman finished with 13 points and three assists while shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 5-of-9 from the field.
Daryl Mackey, Jr. also posted his first career double-digit game scoring 10 points on 2-of-4 shooting from three-point range and 4-of-8 from the field. Mackey, Jr. also added two steals that came in back-to-back possessions.
Caleb Butts shot an efficient 4-of-6 from the field, which led to eight points along with five boards. The Trojans held the Bears to just 38% shooting from the field and from the three-point line. That being said, the Bears scored 26 points in the paint as the Trojans had trouble defending the inside.
How It Happened
- To start the game, the Trojans had an undesirable start to the game as the Bears were able to start the game with a 10-2 run. Thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Terrence Hunter-Whitfield and Daryl Mackey, Jr. the Trojans were able to cut the lead to four at 12-8 with 15:22 left to go in the half.
- Halfway through the first quarter the young Trojan squad caught heat mounting a 11-2 run thanks to a pair of three-pointers from Michael Melvin . The scoring run put the hosts up 24-21 with 5:46 left in the half.
- Through the final six minutes of the half, there were two lead changes and two ties while five-straight points from Kylon Lewis put VSU up by three points. While the Trojans were continuing to stay hot from the field, the Bears were right there with them as the host squad took a, 31-30, lead into the locker room at halftime.
- In one half of play, Michael Melvin led the squad with eight points and four assists while shooting 2-of-4 from long range. Terrence Hunter-Whitfield ended his half with seven points along with three assists. Kylon Lewis also contributed seven points and three assists while shooting 3-of-4 from the field while Caleb Butts shot 3-of-4 from the field as well, which led to six points along with a team-high three rebounds. The Trojans had one of their most efficient halves of play shooting 48% from the field and 46% from beyond the arc. VSU also did an exceptional job sharing the ball as they had 12 assists.
- After the two teams traded baskets to start the half, the home squad scored six points straight to go up by seven points at 42-37 with 16:06 left in the second half.
- Feeling the pressure of letting the game slip away, the Bears constructed a 9-1 run to take the lead 44-43 with 11:54 left to go in the game.
- The Trojans fought back with a 8-2 run to extend their lead back to five points at 49-44 with 9:50 left to go.
- While both teams continued to battle it out, the Trojans would extend their lead to six points yet, the Bears would find a way to knot the game at 60 with 3:19 left to go in the game.
- The Bears were able to hit 3-of-4 free throws in the final minutes of the game to steal the win 63-60.
Inside the Box Score
- The Trojans held the Bears to under 40% from the field and from the three-point line.
- VSU had four different players finish in double figures
Up Next
VSU will have a quick turnaround as they will have a matchup set for Saturday, January 22 at Elizabeth City State University. Tipoff is set for 4:00 p.m.
