ORANGEBURG, SC – The Virginia State Men's Basketball team dominated the Carolinas going 3-0 after giving Claflin their first loss of the season 74-68. The Trojans are 3-0 in conference play which makes them the leaders of the Northern Division of the CIAA. Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds which is the most since 2019.
 
At the Half
The Trojans played tremendously effective in the first half shooting 23-of-44 (59.1%) from the field and hit 3-of-6 (50%) from three-point range. They were able to hold the Panthers just 10-of-33 (33.3%), 4-14 (28.6%) from downtown and left a ton of points at the free throw line going 4-of-11 (36.6%).
 
Post Game
Despite having 19 turnovers, the squad was able to score 20 points off turnovers. The Trojans were also able to outrebound the Panthers 44-27. The Trojans kept the Panthers in foul trouble as three players ended with four fouls while one fouled out. The Panthers shot 28% from the three-point line and 63% from the foul line.

Stat Leaders
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald grabbed career-high 17 rebounds (six offensive) while scoring 16 points on 7-of-9 (77.8%) shooting from the foul line. Fitzgerald earned his fifth double-double of the season. Terrence Hunter-Whitfield scored his fourth 20-point game of the season scoring 22 points per game along with six rebounds, three assists and three steals. Zach Newkirk controlled the pace of the game well scoring 10 points along with three rebounds going 1-of-2 (50%) from three-point range. Dajour Rucker contributed positive production scoring six points going 1-of-2 (50%) from downtown along with four rebounds while Tim Montgomery also scored six points off the bench with three dimes. James Love, III scored a key five points in just eight minutes of action going 2-of-3 (67%) from the field in eight of action.


Up Next
The Trojans will have nearly two weeks of rest before packing their bags and heading to the U.S. Virgin Islands to compete in the YES US Virgin Islands from December 29 – January 3. The Trojans will take on Edward Waters (Fla.) on December 31 at 11:00 a.m.