Junior Kenny Mitchell made 7 of 11 shots from the field, scoring 15 points and leading the Trojans to their first victory of the season, defeating Glenville State, 58-57, in overtime on Saturday, Nov. 26 in Ettrick, VA.
In a great defensive battle for both teams, the Trojans were able to pull out a win in their season home-opener. Within the first two minutes of the extra session, Virginia State found themselves trailing by 4 points. VSU’s junior guard Mike Bynum knocked down one of his three treys from long range, cutting the Glenville State lead to one point. Two back-to-back Glenville State turnovers, followed by two back-to-back layups from junior Daniel Awosanya ignited the Trojans into the lead and they never looked back.
Kenny Mitchell led the Trojan attack offensively with 15 points. VSU’s Mike Bynum made 3 of 4 shots from three-point land, scoring 9 points. Daniel Awosayna scored 8 points for Virginia State and Khalil Tate and Ibn Rassoull scored 6 points each. Rassoull led the Trojans with 8 assists, 6 rebounds and 2 steals.
Glenville State shot 38 percent compared to Virginia State’s 42 percent shooting. Andy Dollman made 4 of 7 shots from long range on his way to scoring a game-high 17 points for the Pioneers.
Senior James Shambley led Virginia State University with 11 points in a 76-58 loss to Pfeiffer University on Monday, Nov. 21 in Misenheimer, NC. The Trojans made 2 of 13 three-point attempts and were outscored 46-31 in the second half.
After a close first half that ended with the Trojans trailing by three points, the defense allowed 46 second half points and was out-rebounded 21-12 in their fifth consecutive road game to start the 2011-12 season. Virginia State made 6 of 12 shots from the free throw line, but allowed Pfeiffer to shoot 70 percent from the line, including 15 of 20 attempts in the second half.
Senior James Shambley made his Trojan debut and finished with a team-high 11 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 18 minutes. Shambley made all five of his shots from the floor, leading the bench scoring for the Trojans. VSU’s Kenny Mitchell and Ibn Rassoull had 9 points each. Rassoull also had 9 rebounds and 4 assists to lead in both categories.
Pfeiffer had five players in double figures, led by Josh Humphrey’s 11 points and 14 rebounds. As a team, Pfeiffer shot 49 percent from the field and made 6 of 23 from long range.
The Trojans play next against Concord University on Tuesday, Nov. 29 in Daniel Gymnasium.
Kizer’s 18 Lead Lady Trojans Past Mercy, 72-51
Virginia State’s Quiana Kizer scored a career-high 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds in a 71-52 home win over Mercy College on Friday, Nov. 25 on the opening day of the Chick-Fil-A Classic.
Kizer, a junior, made 5 of 6 shots and added nine rebounds for the Lady Trojans. She went 8 for 8 at the free throw line and scored 8 points in the first half and 10 points in the second. Virginia State made a season best 21 of 29 free throws against Mercy and improved their record to 3-3 overall.
Junior LaMesha Deal scored 10 points and senior Mariame Sylla had 7 points for the Lady Trojans. VSU led the entire way and scored 30 points off of Mercy’s 25 turnovers while holding the Lady Mavericks to 30 percent shooting.
Jasmine Williams and Simone Williams were the only Lady Mavericks to score in double figures. Jasmine led with 15 points and Simone had 12 points and a team-high 8 rebounds. Mercy made 11 of 24 attempts from the free-throw line and only nailed one shot from three-point land.
Senior Mariame Sylla led her Lady Trojan teammates with 16 points and 7 rebounds to a 44-41 win over the Lady Jaguars of Augusta State University on Saturday, Nov. 26 in Ettrick, VA.
Virginia State made 15 of 18 attempts from the free-throw line and out-rebounded Augusta State 41-36 on the final day of the Chick-Fil-A Classic. The Lady Trojans led the entire way in a tight battle with the Lady Jaguars in which VSU scored 14 points off Augusta State’s 24 turnovers.
Sylla knocked down 8 of 9 shots from the free-throw line and junior LaMesha Deal added 14 points, making 4 of 5 attempts from the line. The Lady Trojans scored 22 points in the paint and had 14 second chance points. VSU’s Quiana Kizer recorded a game-high 10 rebounds and a team-high 3 steals.
Augusta State’s Becky Newhouse scored 9 points and had 5 rebounds in a great effort for the Lady Jaguars. Augusta State shot 32 percent from the field and made four shots from three-point land.
The Lady Trojans will travel to Shippensburg, PA on Nov. 29 to face Shippensburg University at 6:00 pm.
Jason Pompey is Sports Information Officer for Virginia State University Athletics. Email: JPompey@VSU.edu
