ETTRICK, VA – The Virginia State men's basketball came out on the losing end of a hard fought battle against ECSU, 69-63. VSU outrebounded the Vikings 21-10 on the offensive boards which led to 22 second chance points. The loss drops the Trojans conference record to 5-9.
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield posted his fourth double-double of the season as he posted a game-high 23 points along with 10 rebounds along with two steals.
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald finished with 12 points as he also contributed six rebounds, six assists and two steals in the contest. The conference assists leader,
Michael Melvin, ended with six assists along with a steal and five points.
Dajour Rucker added 11 points off the bench while shooting 5-of-10 from the field while and grabbed six rebounds. The Trojans forced 14 turnovers while contributing six steals.
How It Happened
- In the early parts of the first half, the Vikings went on an 8-0 run to make the score , 10-2, with 14:00 left in the half.
- As Dajour Rucker scored back-to-back buckets, the rest of the squad had trouble putting the ball in the hoop as the Vikings went up, 24-10, with 7:05 left in the first half.
- As the Vikings went up by 17 points, the Trojans decided to kick up their play and scored nine unanswered points to bring the deficit to seven points. The Trojans ended the half with a 14-2 run to bring the score to, 29-25, at the conclusion of the first half.
- Coming out of the half, the Vikings were able to extend their lead to eight points. Thanks to contributions from Rucker and Fitzgerald, the Trojans were able to cut the ECSU lead down to just three points. With 14:00 to go in the game, the Vikings extended their lead back to eight points at, 43-35.
- Back-to-back three-pointers from Hunter-Whitfield allowed the Trojans to knot the game up at 43 prior to taking a two point lead thanks to, two free throws from Caleb Butts. The two teams would continue to battle it out until they came to a tie at 50 with 9:30 left.
- Hunter-Whitfield was able to bring the game to three points with just 3:53 left to go. The Vikings would go on to extend their lead to nine with under two minutes in the game. The Trojans would attempt cut the ECSU lead down but the Vikings would go on to take the victory, 69-63.
Inside the Box Score
- VSU outrebounded the Vikings 21-10 on the offensive boards, which led to 22 second chance points.
- The VSU bench contributed 16 points in the contest
- The Trojans forced 21 personal fouls in the contest
- VSU shot just 62.5% from the free throw line.
Up Next
The Trojans will host senior night on Wednesday, February 12 against Bowie State University. Tip off is set for 7:30 p.m.
