Virginia Union University's Robert Osborne scored 25 points and grabbed 16 rebounds, but top-seeded Fayetteville State University defeated the Panthers 65-63 in the Championship Game of the 2022 CIAA Tournament on Saturday, February 26, at the Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore, Md.

VUU's Tyriek Railey added 15 points while teammate Jordan Peebles scored 12 points.

"This is a tough day," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler.  "I give a lot of credit to Fayetteville State, because they really came in locked in to the game."

The loss gave Virginia Union a final 2021-22 record of 23-7, the most wins for a Panther team since the 2006-07 team won 23 games.

Virginia Union will now wait to see if it will capture an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.  The Panthers are currently ranked ninth in the Atlantic Region of the NCAA, and will find out Sunday, March 6, to see if the Panthers will advance to the NCAA Tournament.

"We feel we have a lot more basketball to play," said Butler.  "We're going to take a day or two off and then head back into the gym to prepare for the tournament."