Box Score Bluefield, W.Va.-The Bluefield State Women's Basketball team lost 36-53 to Virginia State (8-7) tonight in the Ned E. Shott Gymnasium.
The Lady Blues are coming off a 7-point loss, 57-64, against Warren Wilson College last Saturday, Jan. 9th.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first quarter. After a three by Sophomore Jessie Rehwald, the Lady Blues were up 7-6 with 1:45 on the clock. The Trojans took the lead again after a layup, but the Lady Blues took it back and were top 9-8 at the end of the period.
In the second quarter, the Trojans' started to heat up taking a 15-9 advantage after a made three with 9:01 on the clock. The Lady Blues went on a 6-0 run after layups by Lyndsay Hatfield, Jesslyn Fullerton and Tierra Richberg to tie the game at 15-15. The Trojans took control of the second half of the period to take a 28-19 lead at the break.
The Lady Blues offense struggled coming out of halftime, only mustering 6 points, while the Trojans pushed their lead to 14 points, 40-26.
The Trojans pushed their lead to 18 points in the first minute and a half of the fourth quarter. The Lady Blues tried to shorten the lead, but struggled to get stops or turnovers defensively. The Lady Blues couldn't overcome the deficit and lost the game 36-53. The Trojans also out-shot the Lady Blues 72 attempts to 52 attempts.
For the game, the Lady Blues' struggled offensively, shooting 25.9% from the field, 13.6% from three and 62.5% from the free-throw line. The Trojans out-rebounded the Lady Blues 51-43 and committed 12 turnovers, while forcing the Lady Blues to commit 21.
Junior Tierra Richberg (pictured) led the way for the Lady Blues with another double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds. She also had 2 steals, 2 assists, and 1 block. Junior Tanasia Blake grabbed 13 rebounds (team high) and added 7 points, 2 steals, and 1 block.
The Lady Blues next game is on the road on Jan. 21st against Cedarville University from the GMAC (Great Midwest Athletic Conference) at 7:00 p.m. in Cedarville, OH.
