Virginia Union University's Shareka McNeill scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Lady Panthers to an 87-47 win over Winston-Salem State University on Monday, February 4, at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.
 
"This game was very satisfying, especially since Winston-Salem is in first place in the south" said VUU Head Coach AnnMarie Gilbert.  "We were nervous about this game because Winston-Salem is a young team,  so they don't know what they don't know.  They don't know that they're not supposed to beat Virginia Union, so I'm just really pleased with how our kids handled ourselves."
 
The game marked the 12th straight win for VUU, and also enabled the Lady Panthers to reach the 20-win plateau for the fourth straight season.
 
This is the first time in program history that Virginia Union has had four straight 20-win seasons.
 
"20 wins is my personal goal every year," said Gilbert.  "If I ever get below 20 wins, I'm going to pack my own box, because maybe there's somebody who can do this job better.  But it starts with getting 20 wins each year.  We've reached a milestone, because this is something we want to do every single season, so for us to do it four seasons in a row, I'm really pleased."
 
VUU's Ifunanya Okoye scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds while Nicole Floyd and Shameka McNeill each added 10 points.
 
Virginia Union's Jasmine Carter led the Lady Panthers on the boards with 12 rebounds.
 
"I love this team," said Gilbert.  "Every single person on this team is special."
 
The win raised VUU's record to 20-1 overall and 11-1 in the CIAA.  Winston-Salem State fell to 12-9 overall and 8-4 in CIAA play.
 
Virginia Union now faces Virginia State University at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, February 9, at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.