MURFREESBORO, N.C. – The Chowan Men's Basketball team's upset bid came up just short against #16 Virginia State in CIAA Northern Division action as the Trojans escaped with a 64-61 win on Saturday evening.

THE BASICS

FINAL | Chowan 61, #16 Virginia State 64

RECORDS | Chowan 7-9 (2-5), Virginia State 16-1 (6-1)

LOCATION | Murfreesboro, N.C. (Helms Center)

INSIDE THE BOXSCORE

Gus Rowland and Tim Hewett paced the Hawks with 16 points each.  Dino Muminovic added a double-double to his total with 13 points, 11 boards and three blocks.  Rowland tallied four assists and five steals in the contest.

Robert Grubbs chipped in with eight points, while Trevis Buckhanon scored six.

HOW IT HAPPENED

First Half:

Both teams jockeyed for the lead in the early going as Virginia State held a slim 9-8 lead.  Gus Rowland scored the first six points for the Hawks.

Tim Hewett and Dino Muminovic teamed up for back-to-back threes to knot the contest at 14-all.  VSU opened the margin to 24-16 with a 10-2 run.

Trevis Buckhanon ended the run with an old-fashioned three-point play to spark a Hawk rally.  The rally allowed the Hawks to capture the lead 29-24.  Robert Grubbs and Tim Hewett drained a pair of threes.  Buckhanon chipped in with a pair from the stripe and Gus Rowland notched a layup.

The Trojans would tie the contest up with 28 seconds left in the half with a 5-0 run.  Chowan looked to take a two point lead, 31-29, into the locker room following a pair of freebies by Gus Rowland, but the Trojans would sink a three at the buzzer to lead 32-31 at the intermission.

Second Half:

Virginia State put the Hawks on their heels coming out of the locker room going on a 9-0 run to put the Trojans up by double-figures, 41-31.

Gus Rowland and Tim Hewett ended the rally with a pair of jumpers.  VSU continued to push the advantage midway through the half as the Trojans saw their lead grow to 13 on several occasions.

Dino Muminovic's three with 9:34 left in regulation swung the momentum in favor of the Hawks as Chowan went on a 16-3 run over a nearly six minute span to tie the contest at 56-all.  Robert Grubbs knocked down a three along with a pair of jumpers by Dino Muminovic kept the rally going.  Brandon Mayhan, Gus Rowland and Tim Hewett netted a bucket during the spurt.

A pair of jumpers by Virginia State quieted the crowd for a moment until Dino Muminovic hit a trey from the top of the key to cut the deficit to one, 60-59.  The Trojans answered with a three at the other end to seal the win.

Gus Rowland looked to play hero for the second straight game but was unable to get the long distance shot to connect as time expired.

UP NEXT

Chowan heads on the road for a pair of CIAA Northern Division games on January 24 and January 27 as the Hawks face Bowie State and Lincoln (Pa.) on their northern roadtrip.