West Liberty, WV – Bluefield State University men's basketball went 1-1 at the Atlantic Region Crossover with a 107-83 victory over Wheeling University and a 112-110 loss against West Liberty University.
Game One: Bluefield State 107, Wheeling 83
Seven Big Blue scored in double digits in their 107-83 victory over the Cardinals. The Big Blue jumped out quickly, with Rell Williams and Shainen Carter converting fastbreak layups. The Big Blue scored seven in a row midway through the half to build the nine-point lead. A put back layup from Larry Howell pushed the Big Blue lead to 19 with one-minute left in the half. A trip to the line for the Cardinals cut the Big Blue lead to 17 going into halftime.
The Big Blue outscored the Cardinals 58-51 in the second half to secure the victory. Jordan Hinds, led all players with 23 points and seven rebounds and Romeo Aquino added 15 points and nine rebounds. The Big Blue forced 18 turnovers for the cardinals and scored 32 points off those opportunities. Carter recorded eight blocks on the night.
Game Two: Bluefield State 110, West Liberty 112
A trip to the line for Hinds with two minutes left in the first gave the Big Blue the 56-55 advantage. After the Hilltoppers evened the score at 56, Carter and Hinds scored back-to-back buckets to put the Big Blue on top 60-56. The Hilltoppers cut the Big Blue lead to two heading into halftime.
The Hilltoppers built a lead of 11 with 5:41 left to play. The Big Blue went on a six-point run to pull within five with four minutes remaining. A three by Aquino put the Big Blue down by one with just over a minute left to play. Two free throws for the Hilltoppers extended their lead back to three, but Hinds hit a layup with 17 seconds left to pull the Big Blue within one. After the Hilltoppers extended their lead to three, Williams went to the line where he pulled the Big Blue within two with five seconds left. The Big Blue shot with one second remaining, but the Hilltoppers secured the 112-110 victory over the Big Blue.
Hinds led all players with 32 points and eight rebounds. Aquino came away with 21 points with Travon Cooper II adding 14 points and two blocks. Williams dished out nine assists and collected eight rebounds.
Up Next: Bluefield State at King University, Wednesday, November 13th at 7 p.m.
