UVI Basketball Teams Muzzle the Wilberforce Bulldogs in First Game of Road Trip

The University of the Virgin Islands women and men basketball teams were in Wilberforce, Ohio. Their first two games were a doubleheader against a familiar foe as Wilberforce University participated in UVI’s HBCU tournament earlier this month. The Bucs concluded the three-game road trip with a visit to Central State University, also located in Wilberforce, Ohio.

November 18, 2021

Women – University of the Virgin Islands 79 – Wilberforce University 77

The UVI women continued their winning ways as they just got by Wilberforce University Lady Bulldogs 79-77. The Lady Bulldogs are responsible for the only blemish in UVI’s 4-1 record going into this game. The two teams squared off at UVI’s inaugural HBCU basketball tournament in the Sport’s and Fitness Center earlier this month.

The Lady Bucs used a strong shooting performance to secure this nail-biting win. The Buccaneers shot 49% from the field, including 58% from long range. The Lady Bucs made all but one of their 15 free throws attempted in this game. That’s 93% from the charity stripe. UVI was also dominant on the boards snatching 55 rebounds to the Lady Bulldogs 39. The Lady Bucs defense held the Lady Bulldogs to a respectable 42% shooting from the field. The Bulldogs took 25 three-point shots in this game but connected on only six.

Melea Lovelace led the way for the Lady Bucs scoring 19 points, five of them three-pointers, and handed out eight assists. Kaeani Berry and Amber Appiah-Kubi had double-doubles, both scoring 15 points. Berry gathered 16 rebounds while Appiah-Kubi pulled down 10. Kadai Greene-Tucker and E’Taja Thompson paced the Bulldogs respectfully with 19 and 15 points.

Men – University of the Virgin Islands 84 – Wilberforce University 71

The University of the Virgin Islands men’s basketball team earned their first win of the season, defeating Wilberforce University Bulldogs in Wilberforce, Ohio, on Thursday. The Bucs used a 53-point solid first half to build a 25-halftime cushion. UVI’s twin towers made their presence known in this one as 6’10” LiWayne Richardson dropped a game-high 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds. Will Boyd, also 6’10”, scored 12 points but ripped down a game-high 21 boards. The home team simply could not keep up as UVI held them to 33% shooting from the field. Kyle Cardenas and Justin Kerney led the way for the Bulldogs, each scoring 17 points in the loss.

This win gave the Buccaneers a (1-5) record.

November 19, 2021

Women – Wilberforce University 73 – University of the Virgin Islands 56

Wilberforce Lady Bulldogs were not as gracious hosts as they were the night before as they defeated the Lady Buccaneers 73-56. UVI could not repeat their outstanding shooting performance from the day before as all their percentages dropped considerably in this game. The Bucs field goal percentage sank to 38%. They only made five of 20 shots from behind the arc. The free-throw line wasn’t so charitable as that percentage plummeted 43 points from the day before. Despite the Lady Bucs shooting woes, they were only down two points going into the final quarter, 48-46. But the fourth quarter belonged to the Lady Bulldogs as they scored 25 points in the frame.