ETTRICK, VA – Head Coach
Lonnie Blow, Jr. and the Trojans (3-1) look to stay undefeated at home sporting their 3-0 home record. The Trojans will welcome teams and fans to the VSU Multipurpose center to end their week enjoying the VSU Thanksgiving Classic. They will take on Carolina at 5:00 p.m. then #9 UNC-Pembroke on Sunday at 5:00 p.m.
Series History
The Trojans are 1-0 against Carolina as the Trojans won the only matchup between the two back in 2018. VSU gave the Bruins a beat down 95-68.
The Trojans are 1-0 against UNC-Pembroke as the Trojans won the only matchup between the two back in 1974. Virginia State edged the Braves 76-73.
Self Scout
The Trojans are 3-1 in the season boasting a 3-0 record at home record. They will look to carry their momentum into the VSU Thanksgiving Classic after coming off their best offensive performance of the season after scoring 90 points against Bluefield State in the 90-84 win. The Trojans shoot a deadly 48% from the field but look to improve from behind the foul line as they shoot just 65%. The squad outrebounds opponents by four right now and average 19 dimes per game. Opponents shoot just 42% from the field against the Trojans while averaging 76 points per game. VSU currently averages five blocks per contest along with eight steals. Terrence Hunter-Whitefield leads the team with 17 points per game while shooting 92% percent from the free throw line. He is coming off his first double-double of the season after scoring a season-high 23 points while grabbing 13 rebounds against Bluefield State. Defensively, he's been a nightmare for teams averaging three steals per game. He also leads the team in minutes per game with 35.
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald has shown his versatility in every game this season as he leads the team with 24 rebounds along with 18 assists. He averages eight points per game after coming off his near triple-double performance a game ago with 10 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in the win against Bluefield State.
Zach Newkirk has been doing an exceptional job controlling the pace this season as the point guard averages 13 points per contest with a team leading 22 assists. He currently leads the team in made three-pointers with 5. Last time out, he scored 15 points on 4-of-5 shooting from downtown along with eight assists.
Tremere Brown has had his way in the paint all-season long averaging 14 points per contest while maintaining a field goal percentage of 67%. He also leads the team in blocks with three and snatches down five rebounds per game as well.
Scouting the Bruins
A proud member is the NCCAA, the Carolina Bruins are 2-4 overall and 1-0 is the NCCAA this season. The Bruins are -18 in the scoring margin right now allowing opponents to score 80 points per contest. They shoot 37% from the field and 56% from behind the free throw line. They average 20 turnovers per game yet account for 33 steals this season. The Bruins are lead by Cameron Buchanan and Micah Cooper who both average an identical 11 points per game. Cooper also leads the team in steals with 11 while Buchanan is the shooter of the team shooting 19-of-47 from beyond the three-point arc.
Scouting the Braves
UNC-Pembroke have moved more than three spots up to ninth in the nation as they stand tall at 5-0 on the season accounting for wins over Fayetteville State (68-58) as well as St. Augustine's (72-58). They allow opponents to score just 65 points per game on just 38% shooting from the field. While the Braves shoot just 43% from the field themselves, they also shoot 39% from downtown and outrebound opponents by 10. UNCP shares the ball beautifully averaging 13 assists per contest. They do however struggle to take care of the ball with 71 turnovers on the season. Sharpshooting Bradlee Haskell leads the team with 16 points per game shooting 13-of-32 (41%) from beyond the three-point arc. He shoots 84% from the free throw line while tying for the team-high in rebounds with 28. He leads also the team in steals this season with 10. Elijah Cobb is the board cleaner of the team leading with 36 on the season along with a team-high five blocks with eight points per game.
Weekend Schedule
Saturday, November 26
Shaw (Home) vs. #9 UNC-Pembroke (Away) @ 3:00 p.m.
Virginia State (Home) vs. Carolina (Away) @ 5:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 27
Shaw (Home) vs. Carolina (Away) @ 3:00 p.m.
Virginia State vs. #9 UNC-Pembroke @ 5:00 p.m.
