Virginia Union Edged by Benedict, 83-81
Virginia Union University's Raemaad Wright scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed a career-high 14 rebounds, but Benedict College defeated the Panthers 83-81 on Saturday, December 8, in Columbia, S.C.
Benedict scored the winning basket on a tip-in with 0.3 seconds left to play in the game.
VUU's will Jenkins added 19 points and pulled down 12 rebounds of his own in the game.
Virginia Union's Eric Bowles scored 10 points.
"I have to give Benedict credit for playing hard the entire game," said VUU Head Coach
Jay Butler. "We missed six crucial free throws in the second half and turned the ball over too many times. That allowed Benedict to stay in the game."
Butler said that despite the missed free throws and miscues, the Panthers could still have come away with a win.
"Even with all of the missed free throws and turnovers, if we could have secured the rebound in regulation on a missed three-pointer I thought we could have pulled the game out in overtime," Butler said.
The loss dropped VUU to 3-6 overall while Benedict is now 1-8.
Virginia Union now returns home to face Winston-Salem State University at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 13, in Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.