Bluefield State University men's basketball took down Johnson C. Smith 95-86 at home on Thursday.
Kaine McColley led the scoring for Bluefield State with 21 points followed by Malik Tidwell with 20. Landry Palata contributed 17 points, seven blocks, three assists and two steals. Samuel Desouza added 13 points and eight rebounds coming off the bench.
Both teams traded buckets for the first ten minutes of play, but JCSU built up a six-point lead at the 10:26 mark. The Big Blue tied it up at 27 after a three from McColley. Going into the final minute of the first half down by one, the Big Blue would take the lead after Hirotaka Ohashi forced the turnover and found Palata for the fastbreak dunk. JCSU answered with two of their own, but a buzzer jumper from Tidwell took the Big Blue into the half with the 44-43 advantage.
The Golden Bulls battled back and tied the score at 57 five minutes into the second half, the Big Blue scored six consecutive points to take the lead for the remainder of the game. The Golden Bulls pulled within three after back-to-back scoring possessions, but Palata answered with a top of the key three and a defensive block to stop the JCSU scoring run. The Big Blue reached their largest lead of the night after a midrange jumper from McColley and a layup from Tidwell put them ahead 91-80 with 2:30 left in regulation. JCSU scored back-to-back layup to put within seven, but a trip to the line for Tidwell and Hinds in the final minute sealed the 95-86 victory over Johnson C. Smith.
Up Next
The Big Blue will host Glenville State Monday, December 5th at 5 p.m.
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