PETERSBURG, VA --The Virginia State men's basketball team got a 23-point performance from the bench, but fell 77-73 to the Claflin Panthers at home Saturday.

The Trojans (5-6, 1-1) had two players score in double figures, led by Jacob Cooper, who had 20 points and two steals. Davian Coleman added a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds and Tim Uzochuwku added seven points and six rebounds.

Led by Coleman's seven offensive rebounds, Virginia State did a great job crashing the offensive glass, pulling down 14 boards that resulted in 14 second chance points.

Virginia State did a great job disrupting Claflin shots in the contest, coming away with five blocks. Coleman's two rejections led the way individually for the Trojans.

How It Happened

After falling behind 37-23, Virginia State went on a 12-0 run with 3:59 left in the first half to narrow its deficit to 37-35. The Trojans continued to close the gap, cutting the Claflin lead to 41-40 by the end of the first half.

Claflin kept widening its lead after intermission, constructing a 69-63 advantage before Virginia State went on a 6-0 run, finished off by Jared White's layup, to even the score at 69 all with 3:33 to go in the contest. The Trojans could not turn their rally into a victory, as the Panthers outscored them 8-4 the rest of the way to hand Virginia State the 77-73 loss. Virginia State took care of business in the paint, recording 20 of its 33 points in the lane.

Game Notes

» Davian Coleman notched a double-double for the Trojans with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
» The Trojans held the Panthers to only 39 percent shooting from the field.
» The Virginia State bench made an impact by scoring 23 points to its scoring output.
» The Virginia State defense forced 14 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 14 offensive boards in the game.
» Jacob Cooper led the Trojans with a game-high 20 points.
» Virginia State got a team-high 12 rebounds from Davian Coleman.

This article was created using technology provided by Data Skrive.