| Virginia State (5-9) vs. Johnson C. Smith (4-10) |
| Date |
January 24, 2022 |
| Time |
4:00 p.m. |
| Live Stream |
Live Stream |
| Location |
Charlotte, NC (Jack S. Brayboy) |
| Social Media |
@VSUsports | @vsutrojans_1882 |
The VSU men's basketball team will look to put four quarters of mistake free basketball together to earn themselves a victory after allowing Shaw to sneak away with a victory 63-60. The Trojans have been plagued with an abundance of injuries as the weeks season goes on. Coach Lonnie Blow's squad is currently battling the injury bug as seven of 16 players have been ruled out. VSU will unfortunately be without their leading scorer Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald after he suffered a lower body injury against VUU. The team will depend on their point guard,
Michael Melvin, to continue to step up in the absence of Fitzgerald. Melvin is coming off his best game of the year in which he accounted for 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc while gathering nine dimes for the second-straight game. The Trojans currently lead the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.00) and second in assists (200).
Last Time Out
- 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).
- 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.
Scouting the Golden Bulls
The Golden Bulls enter the matchup just as desperate as the Trojans are for a win after losing five of their last six games. While JCSU's season has not gone as planned, the squad is .500 at home this season. The Golden Bulls are one of the most efficient teams in the conference, as they are leaders in three-point percentage (37%) and free throw percentage (76%). While the Golden Bulls pride themselves on taking good shots, they struggle with ball security averaging 16 turnovers per game. JCSU allows 79 points per contest yet, account for seven steals per game while forcing 13 turnovers. The squad gives up 19 points off turnovers per contest and are outrebounded by opponents just 456-450. JCSU has two players near the top of the conference in Augustine Ominu and Xavier Jones. Ominu currently leads his team in points per game with 14.3, which also lands him in seventh in the conference. Along with being a premier scorer, the 6'9 forward also crashes the boards ranking sixth in rebounds per contest (7.6). Ominu's aggressive play leads to a handful of fouls, which gives him the opportunity to lead the conference in free throw percentage (85%). Ominu's partner-in-crime, Xavier Jones, is second on the team in scoring with 13.9 points per game. Jones also goes hard on the glass as 8.0 rebounds per game ranks him third in the conference. Jones is also known for getting great looks at the rim, as he is second in field goal percentage with 53%. Jones has acquired nine blocks in 12 games on the year.
Series History
The Trojans currently lead the series 11-10 winning the six of seven matchups between the two. The last matchup saw VSU take the victory 99-60 as the Trojans had four players finish in double figures while holding the Golden Bulls to just 28% from the field.
A Win Would…
- End the Trojans slight two-game losing streak
- Avoid allowing the Golden Bulls to even the series record at 11-11
- Allow the Trojans to remain hot in the series
