Virginia Union University's Tahj Harding scored a team-high 19 points, but West Liberty University defeated the Panthers 84-71 on Monday, November 18, in West Liberty, W.V.

VUU's Che Evans added 10 points while Jonathan King and Jonathan Salazar grabbed six rebounds apiece to lead Virginia Union on the boards.

"We wanted an opportunity this season early on to see how we stacked up against some of the best in the region and West Liberty did a good job playing their fast-paced style to get the win," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler.  "I thought we were solid on the defensive end in the first half, holding a team that averages over 100 points a game to just 32 in the first half, but we didn't value the basketball and execute on the offensive end like we needed to.  I i thought we had a much better balance on both ends in the second half, but we had too many turnovers, missed free throws, and we didn't get stops when we needed to down the stretch."

Virginia Union will now travel to Charleston, W.V., to face the University of Charleston at 7:00 p.m. On Wednesday, November 20.