SALISBURY, N.C. (November 9, 2026) – Virginia Union University's men's basketball team opened its 2026-27 season with a hard-fought 83-77 loss to nationally ranked Catawba College on Monday night at Goodman Arena in Salisbury, N.C.
The Panthers battled throughout the contest and made a late push to close the gap, but Catawba held on for the six-point victory.
VUU was led by
Joshua Caine, who delivered an outstanding performance with 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting from the field. Caine also grabbed five rebounds and recorded three blocked shots.
Mike Johnson added 11 points, including three three-pointers, while
Travis Vaughn and
Malachi Dark each contributed 10 points.
Jeremiah Morris and
Israel Yaw finished with nine points apiece.
Farell Crowell orchestrated the Virginia Union offense with 13 assists and nine rebounds while adding four points. His 13 assists led all players in the contest.
The Panthers finished with a 36-33 advantage in rebounding and outscored Catawba 48-40 in points in the paint. Virginia Union also received 37 points from its bench compared to 19 for the Indians.
However, free-throw shooting proved costly for the Panthers. Virginia Union converted just 12 of 24 attempts from the charity stripe, while Catawba connected on 24 of 34 free throws.
"We're going to be fine," said VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach A.J. English. "We played hard and won a lot of the categories but just missed 12 free throws. Catawba is 21st in the country and they have a good team, but we're not far off."
Virginia Union will now travel to Institute, W.V., to compete in the Earl Lloyd Classic. The Panthers will face Glenville State University on Friday, November 13, before taking on host West Virginia State University on Saturday, November 14.
