Boxscore
ETTRICK, Va. – The Goldey-Beacom College men's basketball team saw its five-game win streak come to an end against perennial power, Virginia Union University in the first game of the Doubletree Hotel Richmond Downtown Capitol Area Classic. The game was played in Daniel Gym on the campus of Virginia State, and the final score was Virginia Union 67, GBC 60.
The Lightning (6-6), who were coming off a 69-68 upset win over the No. 20 team in the nation, Bowie State, dictated play for most of the first frame, leading by as much as 27-19 after a put-back by senior forward Terrence Parkes (19 points, six rebounds).
But Virginia Union, who was ranked No. 23 in the NABC poll as recently as Dec. 7, used a 15-2 burst over the final 7:35 of the period to take a 39-34 lead into halftime. A 9-2 start to the second half (24-4 overall run) gave VUU the largest lead of the game (43-31) following a layup by senior forward Gregory Redford (17 points, 12 rebounds).
Head coach Chuck Hammond's Lightning would not go away easily though as they responded with a 12-4 run to pull within 47-43 on a pair of Parkes foul shots with 10:54 remaining. The margin remained between four and eight points when a 7-1 spurt by GBC – culminating in a Sam McDuffie layup – brought the Lightning within 59-57 with just 1:36 on the clock.
But that was as close as the visiting Lightning would get on the night as VUU's Braxton Byers (20 points in 22 minutes of play) launched a three-point dagger that ignited a game-sealing 10-0 run as Virginia Union hung on to win, 67-60.
Senior guard Darnell Cephas finished with 11 points in just 18 minutes of play before bowing out of the game with five fouls. Senior guard Azeez Ellegood pitched in nine points and three assists while graduate student forward Rich Flemming registered nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Despite shooting a mere 30 percent from the field in the second half, Goldey-Beacom outshot Virginia Union, 40 percent to 36 percent for the game. However, the Panthers were a shade better from three-point range (6-of-17 to 4-of-14) and the foul line (23-of-33 to 20-of-29) and they dominated the boards, 43-31.
GBC will look to bounce back in the second game of the tournament. The Lightning will face Virginia State at Virginia Union's site. The game starts at 6 p.m.
