ETTRICK, Va. – Virginia State rallied from a halftime deficit and went on to defeat the Bowie State Bulldogs 69-58 in Daniel Gymnasium on Wednesday night. This was Bowie State's third consecutive loss and sets the Bulldogs season mark at 11-9 overall, 4-5 in league play and 0-3 in the CIAA Northern Division.
 
Seniors Justin Beck (Ellicott City, Md.) and Miles Jackson (Silver Spring, Md.) paced the Bulldogs with 15 and 14 points respectively in the loss. Beck knocked down all 10 of his free throws while Miles Jackson was the teams' top rebounder with four.
 
Bowie State opened the game with a 5-0 run and pushed its lead to a BSU game-high 11 points (15-4) by the 12:21 mark of the first half. However, Virginia State maintained their composure, outscoring the Bulldogs 23-13 over the next 11 minutes to trim the deficit down to 28-27 with 1:36 left in the opening period. The Bulldogs closed the first half with a mini 4-0 run to take a 32-27 lead into the break.
 
The Trojans defense held the Bulldogs to just two field goals over the first 14 plus minutes of the second half which made the difference in the game. With the scored tied at 40-all, Virginia State used a 10-2 burst to take a 50-42 advantage which Bowie State had no answer for.
 
After a 3-pointer by Bowie State sophomore Ahmaad Wilson (Baltimore, Md.) at the 13:59 mark, the Bulldogs were only able to put points on the scoreboard via seven free throws. Beck was responsible for four of those free throws and Miles Jackson accounted for the other three.
 
Senior Julian Livingston (Bowie, Md.) drained a triple with 5:14 to go in the contest to give Bowie State just its third field goal of the second half, but Virginia State was well on their way to claiming the victory.
 
Bowie State set team season lows in field goal made (13), field goals attempted (42), field goal shooting percentage (31 percent), assists (5) and points (58).
 
Virginia State improved to 13-4 overall, 8-1 in the conference and 3-1 within the division. Four Trojans scored in double figures with Kevin Williams (Franklinton, N.C.) leading the attack with 19 points to go along with four rebounds, two assists and one steal. Cyonte Melvin (Hampton, Va.) and Joseph Bradshaw (Silver Spring, Md.) tallied 11 points each while Javon Moore (Fairfax, Va.) recorded 10 points. Moore and Waymond Wright (Raleigh, N.C.) led the Trojans with six rebounds apiece.
 
The Bulldogs' next stop will be at Elizabeth City State University on Saturday (1/30) afternoon with a scheduled 4 p.m. tip time versus the Vikings.