PETERSBURG, Va. — Bowie State (1-1) lost to Shepherd (1-1) 81-69 on Saturday after erasing a 14-point deficit to tie the game early in the second half. The Bulldogs scored 42 points in the paint and got 34 from their bench, but Shepherd held a 40-30 rebounding edge.

Shepherd scored the first 11 points, with Colby White hitting three 3-pointers in the opening stretch before Amari Cribb eventually put BSU on the board with a tip-in at 16:07. Silas Devonish-Prince made three first-half 3-pointers to keep the Bulldogs connected, but the Rams pushed ahead 28-15 on Favor Okigweh's layup at 8:18. BSU answered with an eight-point run, starting with a Justin Morrisey layup, a Jaiden McGhee steal and dunk, another McGhee layup and a Charles Thomas, III layup off a Morrisey steal to cut the score to 28-23 with 5:56 left. Shepherd moved back in front 37-27 on Brody Davis' 3-pointer at 1:56, but Devonish-Prince hit a 3-pointer and added a jumper with six seconds left as the Bulldogs closed the half down 39-36.

After Shepherd's Favor Okigweh scored on a tip-in to make it 41-36, the Bulldogs put together eight straight points, with Trent Floystad scoring twice before Morrisey's layup and free throw moved the Bowie State, ahead 44-41 at 17:52. The teams traded the lead through the next stretch, and BSU led 53-50 on Morrisey's layup before Shepherd tied it on Okigweh's dunk and later went up 61-55 behind a Tristan Cook 3-pointer and Okigweh's inside scoring and free throws. The Bulldogs got back within 63-61 on Devonish-Prince's free throws, then closed a 68-61 gap with baskets by Devonish-Prince, Morrisey and Thomas, III to make it 70-67 at 4:03. Shepherd scored the next six points, added a Brody Davis tip-in after McGhee's late basket, and finished off an 81-69 win.

Devonish-Prince scored 22 points, hit four 3-pointers and added five rebounds and three assists. McGhee finished with 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting and converted all four free throws. Floystad recorded 11 points and three steals. Thomas, III added eight points and two blocks.

The Bulldogs will rest for four days, before traveling to Orangeburg, SC. There, they will face their first CIAA opponent, in Claflin University, at 2 p.m.

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