| Virginia State (7-12) at Shaw (9-7) |
| Date |
February 10, 2022 |
| Time |
8:00 p.m. |
| Live Stream |
Live Stream |
| Location |
Raleigh, North Carolina (C.C. Spaulding Gym) |
| Social Media |
@VSUsports | @vsutrojans_1882 |
The VSU men's basketball team prepares for their second matchup against their divisional opponent in Shaw after coming off a tough loss against Salem, 91-81. The loss extends their losing streak to four games and drops the squads overall record down to 7-13. On the brighter side, Coach Lonnie Blow's squad currently ranks second in the conference in three-pointers made per game (6.9), second in assists per game (13.85) and second in assist/turnover ratio (0.92).
Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald is just one game away from posting his 10
th 20-point game as he is one of the CIAA's most skilled scorer's as 17.8 points per contest ranks him fourth in the conference. Fitzgerald also ranks sixth in field goal percentage (46%), third in free throw percentage (79%) and sixth in made three-pointers per game (2.1). The Junior guard also crept his way into the seventh spot in blocks with 15.
Terrence Hunter-Whitfield is recognized as one of the greatest second options a team could offer scoring 14 points per game which, ranks him ninth in the conference. In the first two games of the New Year, Hunter Whitfield scored a total of 59 points. He is also deadly from the foul line knocking down 76.7% of his free throws, which ranks him sixth in the conference. He also gets it done on the boards as well averaging 7.2 rebounds per game, which ranks him seventh in the conference. .
Michael Melvin is currently the conference leader in assists per contest (5.6) and second in assist/turnover ratio (1.7).
Last Time Out
- Terrence Hunter-Whitfield (24) and Francis "BJ" Fitzgerald (22) combined for 46 points in the contest. Hunter-Whitfield grabbed six boards and went 5-of-8 from three-point range while Fitzgerald grabbed six rebounds as well and finished 3-of-6 from beyond the arc and 8-of-12 from the field.
- Michael Melvin added nine points and five assists along with three steals in the contest.
- The Trojans went 9-of-9 in free throws in the first half while grabbing 11 offensive rebounds and turned them into 17 second chance points.
- The contest saw 11 ties as well as 11 lead changes.
Scouting the Bears
The Bears currently stand tall at 9-7 and 5-5 in conference play. Shaw looks to extend their win-streak to three games following their meeting with the Trojans. The Bears are fresh off their second biggest win of the year beating ECSU, 70-49. The Bears have found so much success this year from simply playing clean basketball as the squad ranks first in the conference in fewest turnovers with just 227 on the season. Shaw shoots a decently efficient 45% from the field and 31% from beyond the arc but shoot just 64% from the foul line. February has been their most efficient month of basketball offensively as the squad is 42% from three-point range and 74% from the free throw line. On the defensive end, the Bears allow 69 points per contest, which rank them in the middle of the pack in the conference. They also make opponents shoot 43% from the field and 31% from the three-point line. Shaw has two players in Caleb Simmons (11.1) and Justus Baldwin (10.2) that average double figures in scoring. Simmons also leads the team in rebounds per contest as well with 5.2. Corey Rutherford is their sharpshooter as he shoots 40% from beyond the arc.
Series History
The Trojans are 6-9 against the Bears in matchups dating back to 2009. While the Trojans have won the last four of five matchups, Shaw took the victory in the most recent matchup earlier this season. In the previous game, the Trojans fell just a possession short with the final score at, 63-60. The Trojans had four different players finish in double figures but had no points from the bench.
A Win Would…
- Put an end to a four-game losing streak
- Prevent the Bears from winning three games straight
- Give the Trojans their first win in the month of February
