Image via Chris Waugaman
Powered by 26 points of their bench, Virginia State was able to defeat Bowie State 77-64. After tying the game at 2 and 4 apiece, Virginia State took a 6-4 lead on Tim Uzochowku’s tip-in and quickly extended the lead to 12-4 before Bowie scored their next bucket, a Guy Fauntleroy layup at the 15:32 mark. Bowie State trimmed the lead down to 4 points at 16-12 and 18-14 before a 7-0 burst pushed the Trojans’ lead to double digits at 25-14 with 8:43 left in the opening half.
Amare Winbush’s jumper pushed the lead to its largest distance at 39-26 with 3:28 left in the half. The Bulldogs responded with a 6-0 over the subsequent 3:10 to whittle the VSU advantage down to 39-32 as the game headed into halftime.
It took just the opening 52 seconds of the second half for the Trojans to push their lead back to double figures when William Hopkins connected from downtown to give VSU a 44-32 lead. Over the nearly 5 minutes of play, Virginia State built as much as a 17-point advantage. An 11-0 Bowie State run tied the contest at 54 with 11:05 left in the contest.
The Bulldogs took their first lead since 4-2 when Jailin Landis canned a three that put BSU up 59-57. Hopkins’ layup tied the game at 59 and then his jumper pushed the Trojans back in front 61-59. Landis answered with a jumper of his own to knot the contest back at 61 with 5:08 left in the game. A free throw from Hopkins put VSU back in front 62-61 and then another basket made the score 64-61.
Jaiden McGhee’s layup pulled the Bulldogs to within a point at 64-63. The game would be no closer, as Virginia State outscored Bowie State 13-1 over the final 4:07 to enjoy a comfortable 77-64 win.
Jacob Cooper led four Trojans in double figures with 20 points. William Hopkins and Amare Wimbush scored 12 points each, while Davian Coleman added 10 points of his own.
In a losing effort, Charles Thomas III led Bowie State with 12 points. Joseph Allen put in 11 points, while Jaiden McGhee and Jalin Landis added 10 points apiece.
Up next for Virginia State (11-9, 4-4) is a meeting with Elizabeth City State on January 24; tip-off is scheduled for 4 pm EST.
The loss drops Bowie State to 5-15 overall and 3-5 within the CIAA. They face Virginia Union on January 24 at 2 pm.
Team Statistics
| Game Stats | BSUM | VS |
|---|---|---|
| FG% | .403 | .435 |
| 3FG% | .238 | .313 |
| FT% | .455 | .545 |
| RB | 34 | 47 |
| TO | 13 | 10 |
| STL | 8 | 6 |
