Virginia Union University’s Jonathan King scored 15 points as VUU downed Bluefield State University 61-55 in the Panthers’ first game in the 2024 CIAA Tournament on Thursday, February 29, in Baltimore, Md.
VUU’s Tahj Harding scored 15 points while teammate Jonathan Salazar scored 12 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
“I take my hat off to Bluefield State,” said VUU Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jay Butler. “They had a good run and they gave us fits all day. They’re a tough team, and Jordan Hines is a good player. I thought he had a chance to be the CIAA Player of the Year. I thought our guys came out, and they were a little excited. We’ve got a young team, but we got off to a great start defensively.”
Virginia Union will now advance to the semi-finals of the CIAA Tournament.The Panthers will play Fayetteville State University at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, March 1, at CFG Arena in Baltimore, Md. This marks the third consecutive year that VUU has made it to at least the semi-final round.
The two programs met twice during the regular season with Virginia Union taking down Fayetteville State both times. FSU and VUU met in the CIAA Tournament finals in 2022 with FSU getting the championship.