PETERSBURG, VA --Five Trojans scored in double digits and Virginia State beat the West Virginia State University Yellow Jackets 83-68 at home Saturday.
The Trojans (1-0) had five players score in double figures, led by Sydney Roberts, who had 16 points. Kendahl Spearman tacked on 14 points and four assists and Skylar White helped out with 12 points, four assists and two steals from the bench.
The Virginia State offense was very productive from downtown, knocking down eight threes on 21 attempts. Kiara Beal was the most prolific shooter for the Trojans, draining two treys in the contest.
The Virginia State defense held West Virginia State University shooters to only 39.3 percent from the field, including 27.8 percent from three-point range. The Yellow Jackets did not get many second opportunities on the offensive end, as they grabbed only nine offensive rebounds and scored 10 second chance points.
How It Happened
Virginia State kept it close in the first quarter, but entered the second frame down 13-11.
Virginia State chipped away at that deficit and built a 26-23 lead before going on a 9-0 run to increase its lead to 35-23. The Trojans proceeded to tack on one point to that lead and enjoyed a 37-24 advantage heading into halftime. Virginia State saw non-starters score seven of its 26 total points off the bench in the quarter.
Virginia State wasted no time building on its lead, going on a 5-0 run, punctuated by a basket from Beal, to expand its lead further to 42-24 with 9:13 to go in the third. Before the conclusion of the third period, the Yellow Jackets had cut into that lead somewhat, but the Trojans still entered the fourth quarter with a 53-45 edge. Virginia State knocked down three three-pointers in the quarter to score nine of its 16 total points.
Virginia State kept its lead intact before going on an 8-0 run, finished off by Gabrielle Gerald's layup, to grow the lead to 63-51 with 5:37 to go in the contest. The Trojans kept expanding the margin and coasted the rest of the way for the 83-68 win. Virginia State took advantage of its opportunities in the post, scoring 16 of its 30 points in the paint.
Game Notes
» Virginia State lit it up from three point land, knocking down eight treys in the game.
» The Trojans held the Yellow Jackets to only 39.3 percent shooting from the field.
» Virginia State never trailed in the second half on its way to victory.
» The Virginia State bench came alive by adding 25 points to its scoring output.
» Five Virginia State players scored 10 or more points.
» Virginia State had a 37-29 edge on the boards in the win.
» The Virginia State defense forced 19 turnovers.
» The Trojans were active in affecting shots on the defensive end, recording five blocks as a team.
» Virginia State cleaned up on the offensive glass, collecting 11 offensive boards in the game.
» Sydney Roberts led the Trojans with 16 points.
» Virginia State got a team-high 10 rebounds from Gabrielle Gerald.
This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.
