Box Score
ETTRICK, Va. (February 3, 2011) — Playing from behind the majority of the contest, Lincoln's comeback effort came up empty-handed Thursday night against Virginia State at Daniel Gym.
Sophomore guard Terron Jones (Bronx. NY/Fiorello H. LaGuardia HS) powered LU (2-15, 1-9 CIAA, 1-3 North) with a career-high 17 points, 15 of which came in the second half, but Virginia State came up with the final eight points to hold home court, 67-54.
The Lions trailed by 17 before chipping away and getting as close as five. Behind 50-38 following jumper by Jones with nine minutes to go, Dominique Stewart (Islandia, NY/St. John the Baptist) had a chance to get to 10 down after being fouled on a fade-away jumper in the paint. He hit one of two, but Zane Oxley (Philadelphia/Martin Luther King HIgh School) came down with the board off the miss and laid it in to get LU within single digits at 50-41 with 7:53 left.
The sequence signaled a clear shift in momentum. A 8-2 run spearheaded by two Jones 3s and a pair of Oxley free throws got LU to 56-51 with 4:50 remaining. Oxley finished with six points.
The Trojans (3-16, 2-9 CIAA, 2-4 North) regrouped with two-straight baskets spanning several empty LU possessions including a dagger trey by Mike Bynum with 1:10 to go.
Jones would answer with his third trifecta of the half, but LU was still down, 63-54 inside of a minute left.
LU had chipped away once before. The Lions began the game with two Denzel Mooney (Baltimore, Md./Western School of Technology) free throws, but Virginia State opened up its offense to lead 18-8 nine minutes in following a lay-up by D'Angelo Johnson.
But the Lions would not fade as a 13-0 run saw LU open its largest lead of the game on a Mooney layup. Eugene Smith (West Palm Beach, Fl/PennWood ), Quinton Hector (Schertz, Texas/Samuel Clemens HS) and Kwaheem Smith (Trenton, NJ/Trenton Catholic) began the onslaught with a diverse team attack before Mooney gave LU the lead on a trey with three minutes left in the first period.
Mooney finished with 14 points but 13 of them came in the opening period. Despite the prodigious first half, he struggled, totaling six turnovers,facing a Trojan defense that keyed on him much of the night.
The advantage was short lived. VSU scored the final five points of the half over the last 1:49 to go into the intermission up, 30-25. The spurt provided the catalyst for opening up the 17-point edge 7:21 into the second half.
Virginia State was paced by Johnson and Brandon Palmer with 18 points apiece. The duo combined for 16-of-26 shooting and four treys. In all, VSU had four players in double figures.
Up Next
The Lions will look to rebound with Saturday's game against Saint Paul's College. Tipoff is at 3 p.m. at Manuel Rivero Hall.
— LU —
