The Bluefield State Big Blue have taken control of first place in the CIAA’s Northern division following a decisive 75-57 win over the Virginia Union Panthers.
This win marks the second straight win for Bluefield State against Virginia Union after having lost the previous 10 meetings dating back to 2015.
Bluefield State improves to 6-2 in conference play with this victory (7-11 record overall), also marking its fourth win in its last five games.
Meanwhile, Virginia Union drops its conference record to 5-2 with the loss (16-3 overall), snapping a three-game win streak as a result.
Senior guard Myles Pierre led the way for the Big Blue, tying a season-high with 26 points, connecting on 7-of-11 three-point attempts (season-high).
In his last three games, Pierre has been on a heater from deep, hitting on 16-of-29 three-pointers (the rest of the team accounts for 6-of-33 shooting from three).
Ellija Preddy put together an all-around performance with 13 points on 67% shooting, six rebounds, and eight assists. Sila Toka scored 12 points off the bench while Anthony Davenport had 10 points.
Virginia Union was paced by Bobby Gardner, who tallied 11 points and six rebounds. O’Maundre Harris chipped in 10 points and five rebounds off the bench.
After trailing for the game’s first seven minutes, Pierre hit a three-pointer in transition that gave Bluefield State a 16-14 lead with 12:07 left in the first half.
From that point, they would not trail for the remainder of the game, eventually building their lead to 28 points in the second half.
Bluefield State’s ability to convert on Virginia Union turnovers was a foundation for its victory, turning 12 Panther turnovers in the game into 23 points (including 15 points off turnovers in the second half).
The Big Blue will be back on the court this Friday when they welcome the Lincoln (PA) Lions into town.
