The last dance at Barco-Stevens Hall for Virginia Union's heralded senior trio turned into a waltz, thanks to an effective "first punch."

The Panthers' leaders - 6-foot-5 Robert Osborne (Hermitage High), 6-7 Raemaad Wright (Suffolk), and 6-3 Keleaf Tate (Washington, D.C.) – walked off VUU's home court for the final time following a regular-season game with an 87-69 win over Virginia State Saturday evening.

Credit a quick knockout.

Union (22-6, 12-4 CIAA) outscored the Trojans (17-10, 10-6) 41-25 in a highly impressive first half before an overflow crowd of 2,500 in VUU's Lombardy Street gymnasium, where three NCAA Division II national-championship banners share space with the retired numbers of Charles Oakley, Ben Wallace and others.

"Senior day today and I thought our seniors came out with a lot of fire," said Jay Butler, VUU's seventh-year coach.

Tate (17 points, 7 assists) scored 10 of the Panthers' first 20 points. Wright put in his usual workhorse effort inside with 12 points, 11 rebounds and 3 steals. And Osborne (29 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists and 4 steals) provided an otherworldly first half.


Before the break, he had 20 points, 10 rebounds (8 offensive), 3 assists and 4 steals.


With the win, the Panthers secured the top seed in the upcoming CIAA tournament, which will be held in Baltimore.

Union's rapid start led with defense. Full-court pressure and that customized, half-court matchup zone with Wright protecting the basket yield few high-percentage shots. Panthers' traps caused turnovers and fed into transition baskets.

"We knew we had to come out and throw the first punch," said Osborne.

The Trojans did not go away, but the damage VUU inflicted during the first half made a successful recovery highly unlikely. The Panthers grabbed 13 offensive rebounds and outscored VSU 21-3 on second-chance points before halftime.

Osborne said "it was hard not to" think about Saturday's game being his last at Barco-Stevens Hall, where the Panthers went 11-1 this season and 11-0 last season.

"Everybody in the stands was supporting us on Senior Night, so it was in the back of my mind to try to go out on a good note," said Osborne. "I'm glad we got to."

A first-half sequence reflected the Panthers' superior toughness and aggressiveness. Osborne, a lefty, got the ball six feet from the basket on the right side. He drove through two Trojans, who knocked Osborne off-balance, but he still managed to convert the shot while falling.

VUU's defense was most frustrating to VSU, as it is to most opponents. The Trojans endured a nine-minute stretch of the first half during which they made just two field goals, going from tied 4-4 to trailing 24-11.

"Holding (the Trojans) to 25 points in the first half I thought took a lot out of them," said Butler.

The Panthers have defeated the Trojans in seven consecutive meetings, including mid-January's 77-69 decision at VSU. Osborne scored 27 in that one.

The lone sad segment of the evening for VUU came before the tip, when Tate, Wright and Osborne were recognized with others during the Senior Day salute.

"We lose a lot," said Butler. "Great kids, on and off the court. They're just high-character guys. We're going to miss them so much in the program."

But not quite yet. The Panthers remain on their mission to capture the 2023 CIAA championship after falling to Fayetteville State in the 2022 title game.