The Virginia Union University men's basketball team, ranked 18^th in the nation by the NABC, delivered a gritty performance in a defensive struggle, coming away with a 57-50 victory over Bluefield State University on Wednesday night. The Panthers battled through a low-scoring contest and executed down the stretch to secure the conference win.

VUU Leading Scorers

• Bobby Gardner – 11 points
• O'Maundre Harris – 10 points
• Malachi Dark – 9 points
• Travis Vaughn – 6 points
• Elijah Scranton – 4 points
• Noah Richardson-Keyes – 3 points

VUU Head Men's Basketball Coach Jay Butler addressed the defensive tone of the matchup and his team's late-game execution.

"We knew coming in that tonight's game was going to be a low scoring game," said Butler. "Anytime you have the two best defensive teams in the conference battling head-to-head it's going to be tough trying to score offensively. I thought we did a better job making our free throws, rebounding the basketball, and turning them over late in the game.
Jeremiah was huge for us tonight. He's starting to give us good minutes coming off the bench. Another freshman 'Dre' Harris made some key plays throughout the game to help us secure the win."

Gardner led the Panthers offensively, while Harris and Dark provided timely production in key stretches. Virginia Union's defensive intensity and poise at the free throw line proved decisive in a tightly contested battle.

UP NEXT
Virginia Union will close out the regular season against Virginia State University on Saturday, February 21, in Petersburg, Va.