ST. THOMAS, U.S. VIRGIN ISLANDS – After defeating Edward Waters (Fla.) 93-70 in the Quarterfinals, the Virginia State Men's Basketball team will prepare to take on Tusculum in the semifinals of the YES! U.S. Virgin Island Classic on Sunday, January 1 at 10:15 a.m. Est at The Antilles School.
Virginia State (9-3, 3-0) vs. Tusculum (5-4, 2-2)
Series History
This will be the first meeting between the Trojans and the Pioneers.
Last Time out
The Virginia State Men's Basketball team blew past Edward Waters (Fla.) en route to a 93-70 victory in the Quarterfinals of the YES! U.S. Virgin Island Classic.
Dajour Rucker scored a career-high 16 points while
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield led the game with a season-high 26 points. The switchblade in
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald continues to do whatever the team needs him to do as he recorded his sixth double-double of the season.
Bucket Getter
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield ranks second in the CIAA in points per game averaging 18.6 (2
nd in CIAA) while shooting 71.1% (12
th in CIAA) from the free throw line. He also leads the team (1
st in CIAA, T-3rd in NCAA) with 34 steals averaging 2.6 per contest. Hunter-Whitfield ranks also second on the team with 5.1 rebounds per game (13
th in CIAA). He has been deadly efficient from the field shooting 51.2% (3
rd in CIAA). The forward knocks down 32.6% of his shots from downtown and ranks second on the team with 15 three-pointers made (11
th in CIAA). He is third on the team with 26 assists this season (T-13
th in CIAA). Last time out, Hunter-Whitfield scored a season and game-high 26 points shooting 12-of-14 (85.7%) from the field along with three rebounds and a steal in the quarterfinal win over Tusculum.
Switchblade
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald continues to consistently stuff the stat sheet as he ranks second on the team in assists with 35 (T-8
th in CIAA) and second in assist/turnover ratio maintaining a 1.1 (8
th in the CIAA). Fitzgerald has been committed to crashing the boards this season despite spending most of his time beyond the three-point arc as 8.2 rebounds per game leads the team (3
rd in CIAA). He leads the team with 28 made three-pointers (3
rd in CIAA) which leads to 12.5 points per game (T-12th in CIAA). Fitzgerald also ties for 10
th in the CIAA with six blocks. Last time out, Fitzgerald recorded his sixth double-double of the season with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Fitzgerald shot 5-of-11 (45%) from the field and dished three assists with a game-high three steals in the contest.
Signal Caller
Zach Newkirk currently leads the conference averaging 4.5 assists per game (T-19
th in NCAA) while maintaining a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio (4
th in CIAA). He is consistent from the free throw line knocking down 85.3% of his shots. Newkirk has been a force from behind the arc hitting 14-of-30 (46.7%) three-pointers this season and ties for ninth in the CIAA with 1.1 made three-pointers per game. He averages 10.5 points per contest on a 46.7% field goal percentage. Newkirk earned a game-high six assists along with six points and six rebounds in the win against Edward Waters (Fla.).
Paint Beast
Tremere Brown has been a dominating force in the paint for the Trojans this season averaging 10.5 points per game along with 4.3 rebounds a game and leads the team with 24 offensive rebounds. Brown leads the way with a 60.6% field goal percentage along with six blocks. (T-9
th in CIAA) Last time out, Brown continued to show his offensive consistency after accounting for exactly 10 points for the fifth time this season. Brown shot 5-of-8 (62.5%) from the field along with four rebounds and a steal in the win.
Scouting the Pioneers
Tusculum is right above .500 this season as they maintain a 5-4 (2-2) record this season. The squad averages 78.3 points per game shooting 44.5% from the field but just 25.8% from downtown shooting 25 per game. They shoot an impressive 75.2% from the foul line averaging 13.4 made free throws per contest. They maintain a slight edge rebounding margin maintaining a plus 3.2. They commit 12.4 turnovers per game. Inady Legiste leads the Pioneers in both points and rebounds averaging 18.6 points and 11.3 boards. He shoots a team-high 60% from the field while knocking down 74.2% of his shots from the foul line. Legiste also leads the team with 1.4 blocks per contest. He has accounted for four 20-point games this season to go along with eight double-doubles. His best game came against Mars Hill when he scored 25 points on 10-of-14 (71.4%) shooting from the field while knocking down 2-of-3 (66.7%) of his shots form deep. He also grabbed 11 boards in the win.
