Christopher Streeter, VSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Virginia State University’s men’s basketball team hosted the Lions of Florida Memorial on the final day of the Chick-Fil-A Classic in Daniel Gymnasium on Saturday, November 24th.
The first half was a back and forth slugfest, until the Trojans went on the run and were able to regain the lead. Outstanding guard play by Florida Memorial helped the Lions jump out to an early lead. But back to back three-pointers and an emphatic one hand slam dunk sparked a huge run for the Trojans.
Virginia State held Florida Memorial to 11-30 (36.7%) shooting from field and forced six FMU turnovers. The Trojans shot very well from the field, shooting 12-24 (50%) and 2-3 (66.7%) from behind the three-point line. Christopher Grier (Jr./Stone Mountain, GA) and Shawn Porter (So./Chesapeake, VA) had 10 points each in the first half. Virginia State entered halftime leading 32-27.
The Trojans began the second half with an intense full court press. Christopher Grier opened up the second half with a deep three pointer which sent Daniel gymnasium into pandemonium. VSU’s Kenny Mitchell (Sr./Atlanta, GA) dominated the paint and the Trojans increased their lead to 12 points with 5:30 left in the game. “I wanted to provide some energy for my team and raise the level of intensity of our play,” commented Christopher Grier.
Kenny Mitchell had 21 points, shooting 8-16 (50%) from the field and also grabbed 5 rebounds. Christopher Grier scored 16 points, shooting 5-8 from the field and added eight rebounds and four assists. VSU was 27-55 (49.1 %) shooting for the game and held FMU to 26-63 (41.3%) shooting from the field.
Outstanding team effort for Virginia State helped improve their overall record to 2-2, with a 79 – 72 victory over Florida Memorial University in the Chick-Fil-A tournament.
