PHOTO GALLERY | Virginia Union University's men's basketball team completed a season sweep of defending CIAA champion Virginia State University by downing the Trojans 83-78 on Saturday, February 22, at Barco-Stevens Hall in Richmond, Va.

The win secured the #2 seed in the Northern Division of the CIAA for the upcoming CIAA Tournament.  The Panthers will begin play at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, February 27, in the Spectrum Center in Charlotte, N.C, against the winner of the Fayetteville State University/Shaw University game.

VUU's Terrell Leach led the Panthers with 21 points while teammate Tyriek Railey added 19 points.  Virginia Union's Jordan Peebles and Raemaad Wright both had double-doubles.  Peebles had 15 points and 12 rebounds while Wright had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

"I thought we showed a lot of character and mental toughness today," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler said.  "We had a few key players in foul trouble throughout the game, but we continued to fight and make plays at the end to get the win.  This was a total team effort today on Senior Day and the guys wanted Terrell and Dedric Byrd to go out on a winning note.  Anytime you can beat our rival Virginia State twice in the regular season then that's awesome for our program. They're a quality basketball team."

The win gives VUU a final regular-season record of 18-10 overall and 11-4 in the CIAA.  Virginia State fell to 19-8 overall and 12-3 in CIAA play.