The Virginia Union University men's basketball team competed in a CIAA road matchup against Lincoln University (Pa.) on Saturday afternoon, showing defensive consistency despite playing shorthanded.

The Panthers were led offensively by Bobby Gardner, who finished with a game-high 23 points. Noah Richardson-Keyes added 12 points, while Tahj Harding chipped in 11 points to round out VUU's leading scorers. Virginia Union also received solid contributions from several role players as the team worked through lineup adjustments.

VUU was without its leading rebounder, Elijah Scranton, which impacted the Panthers' ability to control the glass throughout the contest. Despite the absence, freshmen Jeremiah Morris and Tyler Bell provided valuable minutes off the bench and continued to show growth in extended roles.
Coach's Quote

"We talked about being consistent from one game to the next and defensively today we were consistent for 40 minutes," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler. "I thought we could have done a better job on the boards, but we were missing our leading rebounder Elijah Scranton so that played a big part of not winning the war on the boards. I was super excited for our two freshmen, Jeremiah Morris and Tyler Bell. They stepped up and gave us good minutes with the absence of Elijah today."

Next Game
Virginia Union returns home to Barco-Stevens Hall on Wednesday, February 4, when the Panthers host Winston-Salem State University in CIAA action in Richmond, Va.