January 3, 2015

Richmond, VA- Head Coach James Stinson got everything he wanted out of his starters tonight, and then some.

Senior Eric Mayo finished with a double-double overwhelming 30 points, and 10 rebounds, while Eric Dubose contributed with 10 points. The two were the only players tonight to finish in double figures, to help the Blue Bears withstand an 83-65 win Saturday (Jan. 3) against the Panthers of Virginia Union University.

Although the Panthers were out-shooting the Blue Bears in the first half 68% to 58%, Mayo was definitely giving the Panthers problems as he scored 25 of his 30 points all in the first half, shooting 12-14 from the floor.

The Panthers were hanging tough for the first half of the game, only trailing by two points at halftime with a score of 42-40.

The Panthers came back after the break tying the score 42-42, giving the Blue Bears a run for their money.

It started out as an easy one, then got dicey for a while, but the Blue Bears wound up serving the Panthers well, going up by as much as 20 points with 2:00 left in the contest.

When Mayo was asked to give one word about tonight's performance he mentioned "Family."

"Family, because that's exactly what we are. Every single night that we go out there and play whether we win or lose we want to stick together. I knew we needed a big win tonight and me and my brothers went out there and played our butts off."

Hakeem Jackson contributed eight points, and four rebounds as well for the Blue Bears in tonight's victory.

The Blue Bears shot 55.6% ((35-63) while the Panthers shot 49% (24-49) from the field.

The Blue Bears owned the board tonight, pulling down 40 rebounds as a team over the 22 from the Panthers.

The Blue Bears advance to 7-4 overall and 1-1 in the CIAA Conference, while the Panthers drop 4-8 overall and 0-2 in the Conference

Catch the Blue Bears in action again on Monday (Jan.5) in Lincoln, PA. The boys will face Lincoln University at 7:30 P.M..
 
Written By: Tenai Staley